Our Denomination, History, & Beliefs

 
 

Mosaic Covenant Church is a member church of the East Coast Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church (the Covenant). The Covenant, organized in 1885, has a rich history of faithfulness to God, and God’s faithfulness to his people, that still continues today.

One of the questions that we are often asked is “What does your church believe?” Some denominations have lengthy creeds and confessions, but the Covenant church has chosen to hold “Affirmations” that detail their unique culture and way of living out their faith among and alongside the common, classic beliefs of Christianity. 

Covenant Affirmations

The Centrality of the word of God

“The Holy Scripture, the Old and New Testament is the Word of God and the only perfect rule for faith, doctrine, and conduct.” - Preamble to Covenant Bylaws

The Covenant holds a very high view of Scripture, maintaining that any other creeds, doctrines, and confessions are subordinate to Scripture. A common question asked throughout history of “Covenanters” when weighing theological concepts is: “Where is it written?” This question keeps Christians from allowing tradition or opinion to serve as primary rule, instead, the Scriptures must be the source.

It is also important to consider how we read Scripture. So, what lens do we use?

We should read Scripture: faithfully, communally, rigorously, charitably, holistically, with commitments to grace, transformation, and mission.

At Mosaic, we like to say that we don’t read Scripture literally, but literate-ly, taking into account when it was written, to who, and why and always interpreting the word of God through the Word of God made flesh - Jesus.

The necessity of the new birth

As an evangelical church, the Covenant believes that the death and resurrection of Jesus is how God conquered sin and death. Our conversion from sin and death to life in Christ is what brings about eternal life and we need to consciously choose to commit ourselves to Jesus to join him in that new life.

At Mosaic, we know not everyone’s conversion story is the same or dramatic, but we recognize the importance of making a conscious decision to follow Jesus and marking that decision with baptism.

A Commitment to the whole mission of the church

The early Covenant church went by the name “mission friends.” Building off the legacy of the pietist movements, the Covenant church believes that our commitment to Christ should be evidenced in the fruit of our lives. The neighborhood and community should be impacted by the work we put our hands to - all of this is an outpouring of our affection for God.

At Mosaic, we like to think of it like this: if our church were to close up, the neighborhood should be heartbroken to see us go because we are bringing so much good news through our faith in action.

The Church as a fellowship of believers.

The church isn’t a building, it isn’t a worship service, it isn’t a sermon, it is a people who are together living the way of Jesus among one another. This means that everyone who puts their faith in Jesus, regardless of age, gender, socio-economic status, race, nationality, or any other category, is an integral part of the church. Each member is called to ministry and is indispensable.

At Mosaic, this means that the decisions about the ministry that the church engages in isn’t just up to the pastor or the staff team, but is decided on and voted on by our members. We trust that God is speaking to each of his children, not just the professional Christians.

A conscious dependence on the Holy Spirit

Our faith is not a set of beliefs that we sign off on when we convert. It is an active life in the Spirit of God - listening to his leading and following where he is going. In the Covenant church, we recognize that our life is dependent on the Spirit. We can drum up a lot of religious activity, but if it is not where the Spirit is leading, it is in our own efforts and not of God.

At Mosaic, we long to pray and wait for God’s leading, but then follow God when we sense the Spirit’s leading. This means that often, we take our time making big decisions, because we wait to hear from God. It also means that often, we step out in faith to do things that might seem kinda crazy, but it’s ONLY what God can do.

The reality of freedom in Christ

“The Covenant Church seeks to focus on what unites followers of Jesus Christ rather than what separates them.” This means that sometimes, true believers in Jesus come to different understandings of what Scripture means and how we ought to live because of that.

Jesus tells us that “if you continue in my word, you will know the truth and the truth will make you free.” (John 8:31b-32) We are free from sin, and free on behalf of the other. Because we are free, we get to offer that freedom to others.

At Mosaic, we recognize that we are not in the business of morality management or perfect doctrine conformity. Instead, we continue to point people to Jesus and trust that as they encounter the living Spirit of God, they will come to experience freedom in Christ that has the power to set themselves and others free.

Historical Context

In 1885, the Evangelical Covenant Church of America organized. Services and gatherings were originally conducted in Swedish as the denomination was formed with Swedish immigrants to North America. They came from the Lutheran Reformation in Sweden.

These immigrants were also influenced by the Pietists and Moravians. A deep desire for authentic life in Christ led their ancestors to gather together in homes to read Scripture with one another, pray and share with each other. These groups, called “conventicles,” often grew into mission organizations. They were so inspired by the Spirit in their gatherings that they continued to meet and share the good news of Jesus, even though it was forbidden by the state. These lay-led “covenenticles” were distinct from the state-sanctioned, Lutheran churches. They longed for revival to continue and the gospel to spread, longing for real transformation in people’s lives, not only adherence to confessional statements. The momentum from these groups joined together eventually formed the Swedish Mission Covenant in 1878 and it was from these people, who emigrated to the United States, that the Evangelical Covenant Church was born. “They were Swedish, Lutheran, pietistically and revivalistically oriented, and committed to an evangelical heritage that highlighted these important facets of faith: the authority of the Word of God, the necessity of new life in Christ, the ideal of the believers’ church, and the importance of spiritual and theological freedom.”

These distinctions continued to crystalize in the early years, but primary to all of the Covenant theological affirmations is the belief that “God’s Word, the holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament, are the only complete rule for faith, teaching, and life.” This high view of Scripture would not allow any written creeds or confessions to stand above Scripture, trusting that the living Spirit of God will guide the Christian in interpretation and right living. This means that the denomination, although affirms classical Christian beliefs, does not have set doctrine as other denominations do, but rather “Affirmations” that guide their conduct and theology.

In 1976 these affirmations were first published in a booklet: “Covenant Affirmations.” These six affirmations are as follows: the centrality of the Word of God, the necessity of the new birth, a commitment to the whole mission of the Church, the Church as a fellowship of believers, a conscious dependence on the Holy Spirit, and the reality of freedom in Christ. These six identifying markers of the Covenant are in addition to the classic common Christian affirmations: an apostolic church, a catholic church, a Reformation church and an evangelical church.