Having received Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord and having been baptized as a follower of Christ, I commit myself to God and to the members of my local Church to do the following:
- I will protect the unity of my church … by acting in love toward other members, by refusing to gossip or slander others and by supporting the leadership God places in it.
- “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:3).
- “Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification” (Romans 14:19).
- “Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble” (I Peter 3:8).
- “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves” (Romans 12:10).
- “I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people” (romans 16:17-18).
- “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Ephesians 4:29).
- “Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you” (Hebrews 13:17).
- “These people are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage” (Jude 16).
- I will share the responsibility of my church …by praying for its members … for its growth; by attending faithfully and by financially supporting it.
- “To the church…we always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers” (I Thessalonians 1:1-2).
- “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” (Romans 12:12).
- “See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness” (Hebrews 3:12-13).
- “Let us not give up meeting together…let us encourage one another” (Hebrews 10:25).
- “On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income” (I Corinthians 16:2).
- I will serve the ministry of my church …by developing a servant’s heart …by using my gifts and talents and by being equipped to serve by my pastors
- “So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty’” (Luke 17:10).
- “Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who… [took on] the very nature of a servant” (Philippians 2:4-5,7).
- “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms” (I Peter 4:10).
- “It was he [God] who gave…some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up”… “From him (Christ) the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work” (Ephesians 4:11-12, 16).
- I will support the testimony of my church …by living a godly life in my actions, attitudes and words, by warmly welcoming visitors and by bearing witness to Christ and making disciples.
- “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ” (Philippians 1:27).
- “Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation. Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life” (Philippians 2:14-16).
- “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling” (I Peter 4:9).
- “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20).
Please feel free to use this as a teaching tool in your local Church. Simply note the source as (Wisdomforlife – http://www.thinkpoint.com).
Steve Cornell
I have the privilege each month of investing in other pastors. The concerns they share with me remind me of many things I’ve experienced and learned over 30 years of ministry.
Here’s an urgently needed word from Jesus Christ for our marriages, families and Churches: 
The story is told of a church in the northeastern United States that had a disagreement over where the piano should be placed in the sanctuary. 
We must be realistic about our expectations of life in a fallen world. While conducting our relationships with humble integrity, we must not be unrealistic about differences and difficulties that threaten peace between people — even among those who care deeply about each other. This is a truth that must be taught more clearly in the Church.
“America appears to be moving more and more toward uniformity by enforced unity.” So wrote R. C. Sproul nearly 30 years ago. When he penned these words, the term tolerance was not yet in popular use. RC detected trends that would result in a state led coercion forcing the public to conform to politically approved positions on a growing list of issues. 
One of the best ways to improve our communication is to replace destructive tones with constructive ways of speaking to each other. 