Life is better with people. Life is fun with people. God created us to thrive in community. That’s why at Lake Effect Church, we value community. We believe the best expression of true community is covenant membership, which is a mutually-committed community of Christ followers. While you can remain our guest or even regular attendee of our services and events without it, the real value of what Lake Effect Church has to offer begins with covenant membership.
Life is better when we belong.
Through covenant membership, we at Lake Effect Church desire to call Christian men and women to a more genuine, authentic, heartfelt, and holistic relationship with other Christians that entails commitment and discipleship, and provides us with a more effective means to display the glory of Christ.
As such the church is not a club we join in order to reap certain benefits at our leisure, whenever we please, but is rather a complex of relationships of mutual encouragement and spiritual accountability in which we partner with one another for the advancement of the gospel in the earth.
We are not asking that you affiliate with an organization or an institution. We are asking you to join yourself to other Christian men and women. We are asking you to commit yourself to pursue godliness together and to live in relationships of mutual accountability and encouragement. We are asking you to identify yourself as a vital, contributing partner in this community of faith. This isn’t about someone’s control over you, but your commitment to others. It is less about authority and more about accountability. It isn’t about walking through life beneath someone, but next to them.
What, then, do we mean by the words “covenant membership” when it comes to the local church? To be a covenant member means that an individual is identified with, is accountable to, and is a contributing participant to this local expression of the body of Christ, in this case, Lake Effect Church. With covenant membership there are certain commitments that are made, responsibilities that are embraced, and relationships that are acknowledged.
“Covenant Membership” in a local church, therefore, is the way in which the individual is known to be intentionally committed to every other member of the congregation, and the congregation is known to be committed to the individual. Covenant membership means, “I now put myself under the care of the Elders (which includes the Lead Pastor) and I invite them to hold me accountable as a constituent member of this body.” That is the meaning of covenant membership.
In covenant membership there are three expressions of commitment:
- the commitment of all Christians in a local church one to another;
- the commitment of all Christians in a local church to leadership of the Elders whom God has raised up to lead them and shepherd them;
- the commitment of the Elders to the people whom they are to know, lead, feed, and protect.
If you are interested in covenant membership at Lake Effect, here's what you need to know:
- Baptism is a requirement of covenant membership at Lake Effect. However, although we choose to baptize by immersion, we recognize and respect both immersion and sprinkling by Bible-believing fellowships as valid for fulfilling this requirement. If you've not yet been baptized and would like to know more, click here.
- You will need to read and agree with the Lake Effect's Statement of Faith
- You will need to agree and commit to the Membership Covenant
- You will need to read and understand the Elder Covenant
- You will need to sign and submit a Covenant Member Application
- Once you've submitted your application, a pastor or elder will meet with you review these requirements, and to answer any questions you may have.
Holy Bible
The Holy Bible, and only the Bible, is the authoritative Word of God. It alone is the final authority in determining all doctrinal truths. In its original writing, it is inspired, infallible and inerrant. It is the final authority in determining how we live our lives.
II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:20-21; Proverbs 30:5; Romans 16:25-26
The Trinity
There is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and co-eternal.
I John 5:5-9; Matthew 3:16-17; Luke 1:35; Hebrews 3:7-11
God the Father
God the Father, the first person of the Trinity, is the creator and sustainer of the Universe and all it contains. He created the earth, sky, waters, land and every living thing that dwells here. He created all people, both male and female, in His image to have fellowship with Him, but we became alienated in that relationship through sinful disobedience. As a result, people are incapable of regaining a right relationship with God through our own efforts. But God, the covenant-keeping Father, has made a way for us to be reconciled to Him through Jesus Christ.
Genesis 1:1-25; Genesis 1:26-31; Genesis 3:1-7; Romans 5:12-21; Philippians 1:6
Jesus Christ, the Son of God
Jesus Christ is God the Son, the second person of the Trinity. On earth, Jesus was 100% God and 100% man. He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, performed miracles, shed His blood and died on the cross, thus atoning for the sins of all those who will receive Him and surrender to Him as Lord. He rose from the dead on the third day, ascended to the right hand of the Father, and will return again in power and glory.
John 1:1,14, I Timothy 3:16; Isaiah 9:6; Philippians 2:5-6; I Timothy 2:5
Virgin Birth
Jesus Christ was conceived by God the Father, through the Holy Spirit (the third person of the Trinity) in the virgin Mary’s womb. He is the Son of God.
Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:18, Matthew 1:25, Luke 1:27-35
Blood of Jesus
The Blood that Jesus Christ shed on the Cross of Calvary was sinless and is 100% sufficient to cleanse us of all sin. Jesus allowed Himself to be punished for our sins, enabling all those who believe to be free from the penalty of sin, which is death.
1 John 1:7; Revelation 1:5, Revelation 5:9; Colossians 1:20; Romans 3:10-12, 23, Romans 5:9; John 1:29
Lordship of Jesus
Christians are people who have acknowledged the Lord Jesus Christ as the only way to be reconciled to God. They relinquish the authority of their lives over to Him, and continually surrender in all areas, thus making Jesus the Lord of their life as well as their Savior. They put their trust in what Jesus accomplished for them when He died, was buried, and rose again from the dead. We believe all Christians should live for Christ and not for themselves. By obedience to the Word of God and daily yielding to the Spirit of God, every believer should mature and be conformed to the image of Christ.
John 1:12; John 14:23; John 15:4; Revelations 3:20
Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit (described by Jesus as Our Helper) is the third person of the Trinity, equal with the Father and the Son of God. He lives in every believer from the moment of salvation. He provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth and guidance, and wisdom in every area of life. He desires to make us supernatural creatures, equipped to do the works of God on Earth. The Holy Spirit, working through humans, is the restraining force of evil on Earth.
2 Corinthians 3:17, John 16:7-13, John 14:16-17, Acts 1:8, 1 Corinthians 2:12, 1 Corinthians 3:16, Ephesians 1:13, Galatians 5:25, Ephesians 5:18, Romans 8:11
Repentance
Repentance is the commitment to turn away from sin in every area of our lives and to follow Christ.
Acts 2:21, 3:19, I John 1:9
Sanctification
Sanctification is the ongoing process of obeying God’s Word and His Spirit in order to complete the development of Christ’s character in us. It is through the ministry of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God that a Christian can live a godly life.
I Thessalonians 4:3, 5:23; 2 Corinthians 3:18, 6:14-18, Romans 8:29, 12:1-2, Hebrews 2:11
Baptism in the Holy Spirit
We believe that baptism in the Holy Spirit is a sign given at Pentecost and is still in operation today. It is the promise of the Father, sent by Jesus after His Ascension, to empower the Church to preach the Gospel throughout the whole Earth.
Joel 2:28-29; Matthew 3:11; Mark 16:17; Acts 1:5, 2:1-4, 17, 38-39, 8:14-17, 10:38, 44-47, 11:15-17, 19:1-6
Spiritual Gifts
We believe God has given spiritual gifts to His body in order to equip us for His work on Earth. The Holy Spirit is in the Earth to manifest these gifts in God’s people, from generation to generation. Through a variety of spiritual gifts the Body of Christ is able to build and sanctify the Church, demonstrate the validity of the resurrection, and confirm the power of the Gospel. The Bible’s lists of these gifts are not necessarily exhaustive, and the gifts may occur in various combinations. We believe that all gifts listed in the Bible are still fully operational and vital for God’s work on Earth. All believers possess one or more spiritual gifts and are commanded to earnestly desire the manifestation of the gifts in their lives. Spiritual gifts must always operate in harmony with the Scriptures and should never be used in violation of biblical parameters.
Hebrews 2:4; Romans 1:11, 12 :4-8; Ephesians 4:4,11-16; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31, 14:1-40; 1 Peter 4:10
The Church
We believe that the Church is the Body of Christ, of which Jesus Christ is the head. The members of the Church are those who have trusted by faith the finished work of Christ. The purpose of the Church is to glorify God by loving Him and by making Him known to the lost world. Every person who is born of the Spirit is an integral part of the Church as a member of the body of believers.
Ephesians 1:22, 2:19-22; Hebrews 12:23; John 17:11, 20-23
Two Sacraments
Water Baptism:
While on Earth, Jesus modeled water baptism in His own life. Before ascending into Heaven, He commanded His people to be baptized in water in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We, therefore, believe that water baptism is a valid and necessary expression of faith, and should occur once an individual is fully able to understand what baptism means (for more information on our beliefs and practices regarding baptism, click here).
Matthew 3:13-17; Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; Acts 8:12; Acts 8:36-38; Acts 10:47-48
The Lord’s Supper:
Also known as communion, it is a unique and holy time in the presence of God when the elements of bread and grape juice (representing the body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ) are taken in remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross.
Matthew 26:26-29; I Corinthians 10:16, 11:23-25
Marriage
We believe in the historically Christian view of marriage and sexual expression; namely, that marriage is a one-flesh covenant union between two sexually different persons (genetically male and female) from different families, and that all sexual relationships outside of marriage are sin.
Matthew 19:4-5; 1 Corinthians 7:2-3, Hebrews 13:4
God's Will for Provision
It is the Father’s will for believers to become whole, healthy and successful in all areas of life. But because of the fall, many may not receive the full benefits of God’s will while on Earth. That fact, though, should never prevent all believers from seeking the full benefits of Christ’s provision in order to better serve others.
Spiritual Provision: John 3:3-11; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; Romans 10:9-10
Mental and Emotional Provision: 2 Timothy 1:7, 2:11; Philippians 4:7-8; Romans 12:2; Isaiah 26:3
Physical Provision: Isaiah 53:4-5; Matthew 8:17; 1 Peter 2:24
Financial Provision: Joshua 1:8; Malachi 3:10-11; Luke 6:38; 2 Corinthians 9:6-10; Deuteronomy 8:18; Deuteronomy 28:1-14; Psalm 34:10, 84:11; Philippians 4:19
Heaven and Hell Are Real
Human beings are created to exist forever. After physical death, the human spirit is sent to one of two places to live out their eternal existence:
Heaven is the eternal dwelling place for all believers in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Because of God’s forgiveness and salvation, believers will enjoy eternal union with God in Heaven.
Matthew 5:3, 12, 20, 6:20, 19:21, 25:34; John 17:24; 2 Corinthians 5:1; Hebrews 11:16; 1 Peter 1:4
Hell was not originally created for human beings, but for Satan and his fallen angels. After humanity sinned and eternally separated themselves from God, hell became established as an eternal dwelling place for unbelievers. After living one life on earth, unbelievers will be judged by God, eternally separated from Him, and sent to hell where they will be forever tormented along with the devil and the fallen angels.
Matthew 25:41; Mark 9:43-48; John 3:16; Romans 6:23; Hebrews 9:27; 1 John 2:25; Revelation 14:9-11, 20:12-15, 21:8
Jesus Will Return
Jesus Christ will physically and visibly return to Earth for the second time to establish His Kingdom. This will occur at a date undisclosed by the Scriptures.
Matthew 24:30, 26:63-64; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-8; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3; Revelation 1:7
Created in God’s Image
All humanity is created in the image of God and possesses intrinsic dignity and worth. God made humanity—male and female—in His own image (Genesis 1:27-30). Set apart as His image bearers, every human being is sacred. All men and all women, bearing the image of God, are meant to represent God in His creation for the purpose of bringing glory to God (1 Corinthians 10:31, Isaiah 43:7). God declares the created order to be very good, distinguishing men and women as His agents to care for, manage and govern over it. They enjoy equal access to God by faith in Christ Jesus and are both called to move beyond passive self-indulgence to significant private and public engagement in family, church and civic life.
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Statement of Faith printable version
In addition to this statement of faith, Lake Effect Church also makes the following positional papers available:
The following commitment to covenant membership is not undertaken that we might gain God’s favor, but because we already have it. We do not promise to fulfill these responsibilities in order that we might be forgiven or gain entrance into God’s kingdom, but because through the finality and all-sufficiency of what Jesus Christ has accomplished on our behalf, we have already been forgiven and are already heirs of God’s kingdom.
No one should embrace the following covenant without a clear understanding of this truth. We are happy to commit ourselves in covenant one with another because God has already committed himself in covenant to us in the person of his Son, Jesus Christ. Thus, the principles of this covenant are not a legalistic code by which we judge our worth or hope to gain God’s approval. Rather these principles are an expression of our joyful recognition that our worth and approval in the sight of God are already rooted in Christ and established by his redemptive work on our behalf.
Therefore, as we seek to walk in obedience to the biblical obligations of this covenant, we understand and freely confess that it is only by the grace of God working in us that will empower us to fulfill our responsibility and delight as Christians.
Apart from God’s grace, all we can expect from ourselves is a life of failed attempts at righteousness, but in light of the gospel, and with the empowering grace of God by the Holy Spirit, we seek to walk in grace motivated obedience while God works in us “both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Phil. 2:12-13).
On those occasions when we fail to live up to the commitments we are about to make we pray that God would grant us quick and unmistakable conviction of our sin and a repentant heart that turns from self-centered and idolatrous living to a robust confidence and joy in the truth of the Gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit.
Therefore, having been graciously enabled by the Holy Spirit to repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and to give up ourselves wholly to him, we do now solemnly and joyfully enter into this covenant with each other.
By the grace of God at work within me, and having agreed to the Member’s Statement of Faith, I promise:
- To submit to the Scriptures as the final authority on all issues of life and belief ( Ps 119; 2 Tim. 3:14-17; 2 Pet. 1:19-21)
- To pursue the Lord Jesus Christ through regular Bible reading, prayer, fellowship and practice of spiritual disciplines (Luke 18:1; Acts 17:11; 1 Cor. 9:24-27; Eph. 5:1-21; 1 Thess. 5:12-22)
- To faithfully participate in the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Matt. 28:18-20; 1 Cor. 11:17-34)
- To submit to the Elders, Pastors, and other appointed leaders of the church, out of reverence to and in recognition of the loving authority of Jesus Christ, the head of the Church, and to diligently strive for unity and peace within the body ( Heb. 13:17; 1 Pet. 5:5).
- To regularly contribute to the life of Lake Effect Church by attending weekly services, engaging in biblical community and serving those within and outside of this church (Acts 2:42-47; Heb. 10:23-25; Titus 3:14)
- To work and pray for the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace ( Eph 4:1-6)
- To walk together in mutual love, exercising affectionate care and watchfulness over each other, faithfully admonishing and entreating one another as occasion may require ( Rom 12:9-16; Heb. 10:24)
- To pay careful attention to the many “one-anothering” commands in the NT and by the grace of God apply ourselves to the fulfillment of each to the building up of the body of Christ (John 3:34; Rom. 12:10, Rom. 12:6; Rom. 14:13, Romans 14:19; Romans 15:7, Romans 15:14; Gal. 5:13; Eph. 4:32; Eph. 5:21; Col. 3:9; 1 Thess. 4:18; James 5:16)
- To rejoice at each other's happiness and endeavor with tenderness and sympathy to bear each other's burdens and sorrows (1 Cor. 12:26; Gal 6:2; Col. 3:13)
- To seek, by God’s gracious help, to live righteously in the world, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts (Titus 2:11-14)
- To practice complete sexual purity until married and, if married, complete fidelity within heterosexual and monogamous marriage ( Romans 13:11-14; 1 Cor. 6:15-20, 1 Cor. 10:8; Eph. 5:3; 1 Thess. 4:1-8; Heb. 13:4).
- To contribute cheerfully and generously to the support of the ministry, the expenses of the church, the relief of the poor, and the spread of the Gospel through all nations (2 Cor. 8-9; Gal 2:10; 3 John 5-8)
- I also promise that when I move from this place, I will as soon as possible unite with some other church where I can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God's Word.
The Elders of Lake Effect Church covenant with you and promise to you that, by the grace of God, we will:
- joyfully keep watch over the souls of men and women at Lake Effect Church, knowing that we will give an account to God for your spiritual welfare (Hebrews 13:17);
- care for the church and seek her growth in grace, truth and love (Matthew 28:16-20; Acts 20:28; Ephesians 4:15-16; Colossians 1:28; James 5:14; 1 Peter 5:1-4);
- take steps to ensure that the whole counsel of God is faithfully proclaimed and taught from the whole of Scripture (Acts 20:27-28; 1 Timothy 4:16; 2 Timothy 4:1-5; Titus 2:1);
- equip the saints of the church for the work of ministry (Ephesians 4:11-16);
- recognize and appoint Elders according to the criteria assigned to them in the Scriptures (1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9; 1 Peter 5:1-4);
- prayerfully seek God's will for our church community and steward her resources to the best of our ability based on our understanding of the Scriptures and the guidance of the Spirit (Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:1-4);
- be on guard against false teachers and teachings and protect the congregation from their influence (Matthew 7:15; Acts 20:28-31; 1 Timothy 1:3-7; 1 John 4:1);
- lovingly oversee discipline when necessary, for the glory of God, the good of the one disciplined and the health of the church as a whole (Matthew 18:15-20; 1 Corinthians 5; Galatians 6:1; James 5:19-20);
- take the lead in setting an example and join all other believers in joyfully fulfilling the responsibilities of covenant membership (Philippians 3:17; 1 Timothy 4:12; Titus 2:7-8; 1 Peter 5:3).