Covenant Evangelical Ministries

The PROMISE
Exodus 19 vers 5
Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine


The COVENANT
A covenant, in contrast to a contract, is a one-way agreement whereby the covenanter is the only party bound by the promise. A covenant may have conditions and prerequisites that qualify the undertaking, including the actions of second or third parties, but there is no inherent agreement by such other parties to fulfill those requirements.
Consequentially, the only party that can break a covenant is the covenanter. According to the terms of this covenant, the Israelites were told that they must worship God and obey His Commandments in order to receive spiritual and temporal blessing and avoid exposure to the effects of the curse. When the word "covenant" is used in this sense, the agreement is essentially unilateral, since while the covenant's outworkings are dependent upon human response; its terms are dictated by God. By contrast, with the human covenants (David and Jonathan) - the terms are agreed upon mutually.

The COVENANT OF GRACE
God made an additional covenant with Jesus Christ, called the Covenant of Grace in which Christ's sacrifice on the cross would atone for the sins of all humankind. The covenant of Grace ensures that our major responsibility in life becomes one of studying God's Word to search for the parameters of our authority. One of its major purposes is the building of character. Godly character is built by means of the Holy Spirit through the combination of what we believe, faith, and responding in obedience—works—to the truth of God. We cannot respond of our own free will unless we know what our responsibility is.

A GODLY CHARACTER
Godly character is formed by one who is fulfilling his responsibilities to the truth of God, making one carry out the truth of God. Human nature though, will force a person to go to ridiculous lengths to avoid facing up to its responsibilities. It deceives; remember the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, it deceives a person into what the psychologist calls denial. Now following the WORD of God, you see that it sets the parameters of our responsibility, tells us what our authority is, and tells us how our authority goes. This is not easy because human nature wants to follow one line of belief and the Holy Spirit another.

The PURPOSE OF COVENANT EVANGELICAL MINISTRIES.
That is one part of our purpose in COVENANT EVANGELICAL MINISTRIES. If we can confront our problems by acknowledging that we are sinners, repent, and turn with all our heart, bending our will to make the sacrifice to obey through faith and ensuring that the covenant stays intact through our love for GOD and our neighbour, the grace of God will be sufficient to overcome anything.
The second part of our purpose lies in the word EVANGELICAL and is articulated through Matthew 28 verse 19:
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
That is our responsibility and we have received the authority from God to meet that responsibility. God is looking for people who will be faithful to duty. He is looking for people who will meet their responsibility head on and be faithful in carrying it out.

“The Church Resembles the Church Staff”

This statement bears out the critical stance of positive and effective church leadership. If the church of today is going to grow, leadership will play a vital role in growing the organization. On average, this church has about 50 to 80 people in attendance each week. One hundred people demand more attention and leadership. Although many churches will be larger than 100 in attendance (and some smaller too), leadership is called to support and sustain the work and ministry of the church.

What makes for a smooth operating team in ministry? The church staff must model for the church how a good team is to function. God wants the church to function as a team and who better to show the way than the full-time personnel, called to serve the church.
There are three important areas in teambuilding and growth:

The Team,

Which entails the concept of teamwork and the problems faced by teams;

The functioning of a team, which lifts up the needed parts for a well-run team, including job descriptions and role expectations; and

Maintaining the team, which discusses staff conflict, meetings and retreats, and the induction of new team members.

The pastor and full-time staff has a huge responsibility to lead the church. We cannot do ministry by ourselves. We need one another to grow a successful ministry. The level at which the staff is motivated, dedicated, and forward thinking will determine the level at which the church will function as well. The pastor and his wife alone are not called to meet every need in the church. The staff is called to make sure that all the needs are being met!

So how do church staffs operate at high levels of quality and dedication? What needs to happen for leadership to form into a quality functioning team? These are complex questions and so are the answers. The staff is to share ministry in both the sorrows and the joys of their congregation. The staff is to reach, teach, minister, and equip. The staff is to pull in the same direction, working toward the same goals. The staff is to be a team of leaders. That is where the leadership of the church comes into play. The church leadership is also called to be a team!

TEAM—Together Everyone Accomplishes More

Good teams function together as one unit. The leadership team members cover for one another, share in the joys, and support in the frustrations. Regardless of what you call this group, their work will only be as effective as their ability to be a team of servant leaders.

The leadership team is made up of everyone who has leadership responsibilities in the administration of the church. Usually, the pastor directs the work of the leadership team. The pastor works closely with the staff of the church.

Team ministry means that you share, communicate, unite, and dedicate yourselves toward the successful accomplishment of common goals. Teamwork is difficult work. The elements below must be present if we are going to be a successful team.

• Loyalty. We will only be as successful in our individual ministries as the team is successful in its combined ministry! Loyalty to one another and the pastor and his wife is crucial. Public conflict between staff members is crippling. Communication among team members builds loyalty. There will always be church members and leaders who want to gripe and complain. Some of these people will try to divide and conquer the leadership team.

• Competence. Sunday morning is the main priority of the church leadership team. Make sure you prepare adequately each week to allow your team to be confident in the Sunday morning responsibilities. The competent church leadership team makes sure that rooms are ready, that church members needs are met, and that everything is in place to support a quality service. While there may be some touchy situations in which you will be called on to lead, never let them see you sweat!

• Focus. The quality and competent church leadership team makes sure that they are focused on the right priorities. Too many leaders focus just on doing things the right way. They are only concerned with the procedures of how things are done. These leaders focus on tradition and policy. These leaders probably focus too much on approach. If not careful, these defenders of tradition will lose their focus and become obstacles for growth.

There are other leaders who focus all of their energy on doing the right things. These leaders appear visionary. They keep us focused on meeting the needs of our community and keep us dreaming great dreams. If left unchecked, however, these vision casters will get too far out in front of the rest of the team. They will lose their effectiveness because they will be looked upon as too wild and too weird.

Effective leadership balances vision and procedure. We must dream great dreams. We must pay attention to the details. Only a focused leadership team can make sure that we stay balanced in the leadership we provide our teachers.

• Leadership development. Much of the leadership literature of today talks about the leader continuing to develop followers. The leader who can develop a strong group of followers will be in a position to get things done. Leaders who develop followers will be inspirational and motivational. Leaders who can develop followers will be able to challenge others and to bring about the changes that he/she desires. The leader who develops followers will always have a strong group of supporters willing to “make it happen.”

However, another approach can be just as effective. Good leaders develop other “good leaders.” Leaders involved in developing good leaders are not just using personality and motivation. The development of other leaders is necessary if the church is going to grow. By multiplying one’s talents and leadership abilities, the church will grow beyond the inspiration and motivation of just one leader.

The leader who develops other leaders also ensures a strong base of support. This leader is also motivational and inspirational. Nevertheless, this leader also makes sure that there will be leaders to “fill the gaps” when other leaders are needed.

We must make every effort through our own leadership to build a team of leaders that will guide our church. As we build team members, we build a group of flexible and energized people willing to put the needs of others before their own needs. Successful church leadership teams have an agreed upon mission. Successful church leadership teams have an unselfishness of work and ministry tasks. Successful church leadership teams have a high level of competence and unity.

We have good leaders right now, but we will need more! Leadership development will be a key in the coming years. Members will always be needed, but leadership is the key to growth. The sign of an effective leader is both how many people he had around them and how many leaders they made.

Sermons

Photo Galary

Easter Conference
Knysna 2008