Covenant Church of Harrisburg

THE CONSTITUTION

NAME

1. The organization shall be known as The Covenant Church of Harrisburg, Inc.

by which name it is incorporated under the laws of the State of North
Carolina, and hereinafter-designated ‘Church.’ The term’s congregation and
membership are herein used interchangeably and designate the corporate body
of all members of the church.

ARTICLE II

ARTICLES OF FAITH

All Articles of Faith are to be interpreted and understood to be in harmony with

the Holy Scriptures, and a summary of our position in relation to the doctrines of
the Christian faith is as follows:

GOD – We believe in the only true God eternally existing in three persons as
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – each possessing divine perfection and worthy of the
same worship and obedience’s: He, as Creator and sovereign ruler of the universe,
is righteous in all His ways and hold in all His works.

1. Mark 12:29 5. Revelation 4:11

2. Isaiah 45:22 6. John 1:3
3. John 15:26 7. Hebrews 1:1-3
4. Matthew 28:19 8. Deuteronomy 32:4

BIBLE – We believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament in their entirety
to be the infallible Word of God, given by inspiration of God, in the sense that the
Hold Ghost gave the very words of the sacred writing to holy men of old, and that
His Divine inspiration extends fully to all parts of these writings, historical,
poetical, doctrinal, and prophetic. We further believe that the Scriptures, from
first to last, center about our Lord Jesus Christ, His person and work, His first and
Second Coming; and therefore every portion of the Old and New Testament was
ordained of God for our instruction. We fully accept the Scriptures as being
inerrant in the original writings, and the only infallible rule of faith and life.

1. I Thessalonians 2:13 4. I Corinthians 2:13

2. II Timothy 3:16 5. Luke 24:27
3. II Peter 1:19-21 6. Psalm 119:105

MAN AND SIN – We believe that man was directly created by God in His own
image, holy and upright; that through the historic fall into sin, man came under
God’s condemnation, and that in consequence the whole human race is dead in
trespasses and sins and subject to its judgement: death and hell. We believe that
this total depravity extends to every child of Adam because he is born into this
world with a sinful nature. We further believe that without God’s provision for
salvation in His son, Jesus Christ, no one can enter the Kingdom of God, that no
degree of reformation, no educational attainment, no cultural or philanthropic
achievement, no religious ordinance can help a sinner toward the Kingdom.

1. Genesis 2:7 5. Romans 3:10-12

2. Genesis 1:26 6. John 3:18
3. Romans 5:12 7. John 3:5
4. Ephesians 2:1 8. Isaiah 64:6

JESUS CHRIST – We believe in Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, who
became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived of the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary, and that He lived a sinless life that He might reveal
God. We believe He accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross
as a substitutionary sacrifice and full propitiation for our sins, and that our
redemption is made sure to us by His literal, bodily resurrection from the dead.
We further believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is now in heaven, exalted at the right
hand of God, where as the High Priest for His people, He fulfills the ministry of
Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate. We believe that Jesus Christ is our
Lord, Savior, Great Physician, Deliverer, Baptizer and King.

1. John 1:1-2 9. Hebrews 4:14-16

2 2. Colossians 1:15, 19, 2:9 10. Luke 2:11
3 3. John 1:14 11. Acts 10:38
4 4. Philippians 2:6-8 12. Luke 3:16, 7:22,
4:18-19
5 5. Luke 1:35 13. Philippians 2:9-11
6 6. Hebrews 4:15 14. Acts 1:5; 2:4
7 7. Romans 3:24-25 15. Revelation 19:16
8 8. I Peter 1:3-5

SALVATION - We believe that salvation from sin is a free gift offered by God
through His Grace and receive by personal repentance from sin and by faith in the
Lord Jesus Christ, whose precious blood was shed for the forgiveness of our sins,
and that no repentance or penance, no resolution or sincere effort, no membership
in nor submission to any church or its rules or regulations can in the very least add
to the value of that precious blood or the merit of the redemptive work wrought
on Calvary.

We further believe that it is the privilege of all who are born again by the Spirit
through faith in Christ, to be assured of their salvation from the time of their
conversion, and that this confidence is based wholly upon the testimony of God in
His written Word.

1. Ephesians 2:8-9 4. I John 5:10-13

2. John 1:12 5. Romans 8:1
3. I Peter 1:18-23 6. Romans 8:38-39

HOLY SPIRIT – We believe that the Hold Spirit is a Person who convicts
mankind of sin and who alone enables a man to place genuine trust in Jesus
Christ, baptizing him into the body of Christ at the moment of saving faith,
indwelling him for godly living, empowering him for service and witness and
forever sealing him to glory.

We also believe that it is the duty of every believer to be filled and controlled by
the Hold Spirit, as commanded in the Scriptures, thereby bearing fruit of the Spirit
and exercising such gifts as the Spirit may grant in His sovereign will.

1. John 16:7-11 6. Acts 1:8

2. John 3:5-6 7. Ephesians 5:18
3. John 15:13-14 8. Galatians 5:22-23
4. I Corinthians 12:12-14 9. I Corinthians 12:4-
12
9 5. Ephesians 1:13-14

CHRISTIAN LIFE – We believe that the Christian is called with a holy calling to
walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Because he has become a new
creature in Christ Jesus and is indwelt by the Holy Spirit, we believe he should
recognize that he is a pilgrim in this world, with a mission to proclaim Christ, and
to live a life consistent with his Christian testimony.

1. Romans 8:5-9 4. Colossians 3:1-3

2. II Corinthians 5:17 5. I Peter 1:14-16
3. John 14:16-17 6. Colossians 1:27-
28; 2:6-7
RESPONSIBILITY OF BELIEVERS – We believe that God has appointed
prayer, Bible reading, worship, fellowship, giving, and witnessing, as means of
grace and growth for His children. We further believe that, as servants of the
Lord Jesus Christ, we will give account to Him.

1. James 5:16 6. Acts 1:8

2. John 4:24 7. II Peter 3:18
3. Hebrews 10:24-25 8. II Corinthians 5:10
4. Colossians 3:16 9. II Timothy 2:15; 3:15-17
10 5. Malachi 3:10

THE CHURCH – We believe that the Holy Spirit unites all true believers into the
Church, which is Christ’s body, and that as members of His body, they are to
manifest love for each other, and to represent Him and spread His Gospel
throughout the world. We further believe that, as thus being members one of
another, we are responsible to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bonds of peace,
loving one another with a true heart fervently.

1. Ephesians 2:18-22 5. Ephesians 4:25

2. Colossians 1:17-24 6. Ephesians 4:3
3. I Corinthians 12:12-18 7. I Peter 1:22
11 4. Mark 16:15

ORDIANCES – We believe that the ordinances of Water Baptism and The Lord’s
Supper are of perpetual obligation in The Church. We recognize as valid both
immersion and effusion (pouring or sprinkling), leaving the preference of the
mode of baptism to the candidate.

1. Matthew 28:19; Acts 2;38

2. I Corinthians 11:23-26

ANGELS AND DEMONS – We believe in the personal existence of unseen

spirits in the world who contend for the souls of men, some furthering and others
under Satan, opposing the purposes of God.

1. Colossians 1:16 4. II Corinthians 11:14

2. I Peter 5:8 5. Revelation 12:9-12
3. Hebrews 1:7

THE SECOND COMING – We believe that the next great event in the fulfillment
of prophecy is the bodily, personal return of the Lord Jesus Christ to receive to
Himself His own, who are alive and also all those who have died trusting in Him.
This is our blessed hope. We further believe that this event will be followed by
the Great Tribulation, after which Christ will return to earth with His saints to
begin His millennial reign.

We believe in the fulfillment of prophecy in the bodily, personal return of the

Lord Jesus Christ to receive to Himself His own, who are alive and also all
those who have died trusting in Him. This is our blessed hope. We further
believe that there will be the Great Tribulation after which Christ will return
to earth with His saints to begin His millennial reign.

Further, we do not believe that the world will be converted to Christ during this
present age, but rather is hastening toward judgement. We believe that he
prophecies concerning Israel being restored to her own land and apostasy in the
professing church are being fulfilled, thereby indicating the luminance of the
second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1. John 14:3; Acts 1:11 6. Zechariah 14:1-5

2. I Corinthians 15:23-24 Revelation 19:15-
16; 20:4
I Thessalonians 4:13-17 7. II Timothy 3:1-5; II Peter
3:1-7
3. Titus 2:13 8. Jeremiah 23:7-8; Amos
9:14-15
4. Matthew 24:21-28 9. II Thessalonians 2:3-8
5. Matthew 24:29-31 Matthew 24:12

HEAVEN AND HELL – We believe in the bodily resurrection and everlasting

blessedness of believers, and in the bodily resurrection of unbelievers to final
judgement and everlasting punishment. By this we mean that we believe that the
souls of those who have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation do at death
immediately pass into His Presence and there remain in conscious bliss until the
resurrection of the body at His Second Coming.

Further, we believe that the soul of unbelievers remain after death in conscious
misery until the final judgment, when soul and body shall be united and cast into
the lake of fire to be separated from God and punished forever.

1. I Corinthians 15:12-21 5. Luke 16:19-31

2. II Corinthians 5:1 6. Revelation 20:11-15
 3. John 5:28-29 7. II Thessalonians
1:6-9
4. II Corinthians 5:8

ARTICLE III

STANDARDS OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE

We believe that the Scriptures enjoin a life in which a Christian; give witness to
his union with Christ by manifesting the fruit of the indwelling Spirit in his life.

We believe that the Christian life should be characterized by love for obedience to
God’s Word; love toward all men (even those considered to be enemies);
kindness, humility, honesty, fidelity, and integrity in all family, social, business,
and professional relationships.

We believe that the Christian will be increasingly sensitive to the sin of his own
heart, and will yield to Christ as Lord of his life for victory over pride, self-
seeking, jealousy, a critical spirit, bitterness, and all other characteristics of the old
nature. We believe that, as the Christian permits God to work in his heart, he will
separate himself from those things which tend to hinder the work of the Hold
Spirit in his life and which impair the capacities of body, mind or spirit, realizing
these are gifts of God for which he is accountable and which are to be separated
unto Him for His purposes. Moreover, we believe that the Christian should desire
to mature in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and become
increasingly sensitive to the guidance of the Holy Spirit as to any practices which
hinder his relationship with Christ and others. As the Christian is made aware of
such, he will regardless of the standards of others, discontinue such practices.
“Lest us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather that no
man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.” (Romans
14:13)

While it is understood that being born again through faith in Jesus Christ as
personal Savior, Baptism, and acceptance of the foregoing Articles of Faith are
the basis for membership in The Covenant Church of Harrisburg, we recommend
to all members and any who are seeking membership to prayerfully seek the
guidance of the Holy Spirit concerning their attitude toward the Scriptural
standards of the Christian life as outlines in this statement.

1. Galatians 5:22-23 4. Romans 12:1-2

2. Philippians 1:9-11 5. Romans 14:13
3. Romans 6:11-14

ARTICLE VI
 INDEPENDENT STATUS

This church while desiring to cooperate with all groups of true believers in
furthering the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is incorporated as an unaffiliated
organization. Affiliation with an established denomination can be considered only
with three-fourths vote of the total Session and after approval, by two-thirds vote
of the active members at a duly called congregational meeting.

ARTICLE V

GOVERNMENT OF THE CHURCH

The government of this church is vested in its membership, which constitutes the
congregation and is facilitated through the Session of the church.

ARTICLE VI

RIGHTS OF THE CHURCH

The Corporation of the church, through its duly elected officers, shall have sole
title to its real property and shall be sole owner of any equity it may have in any
real property.

ARTICLE VII

AMENDMENTS

This Constitution may be amended by the following procedure. Amendments

may originate only in the Session. An amendment may be adopted by the Session
only after consideration in at least two regular monthly meetings, of which all
members of the Session of the church shall have been previously and duly
notified in writing, including the text of the proposed amendment. Adoption of
amendments shall require a favorable vote by three-fourths of the members of the
Session. This shall then be taken to the Congregation but only after copies of the
proposed amendment have been mailed to all the active members and this is then
followed by two Sundays in which the proposed amendment is read before the
congregation. All of this must proceed a vote on an amendment. A two-thirds
majority of the congregation is required to carry such an amendment in keeping
with Article VI of the By-Laws.