This week celebrates what God has done and is doing in the Covenant Brethren Church (CBC) through its first six years. I hope you and your congregation had a chance to celebrate that milestone this month and will continue to celebrate it each year from now on. The Covenant Brethren Church was officially born on October 24th, 2020, at the first Annual Meeting and Worship Conference held at the Antioch Congregation in Woodstock, VA. Since then, the CBC has grown to 238 congregations in 15 countries since its inception six years ago.

What has led to this growth?

While multiple factors have driven this growth, I want to highlight three key components: one, the statement of faith; two, the mission focus and commitments; and three, God’s sovereign work of grace.

First, the statement of faith has been a unifying source of agreement on essentials while at the same time providing for congregational liberty on several of the applications. Several congregations, especially from outside of the United States, have chosen to join the Covenant Brethren Church because of agreement with the statement of faith. I believe the statement of faith honors God in the essential areas of the Bible: God, Jesus, salvation, the Church, the sanctity of human life, and human sexuality.

Second, the mission focus of the Covenant Brethren Church

Our mission can be summarized in three key chapters of the book of Matthew: 22, 25, and 28. These chapters speak of the Great Commission and the Great Commandments. The CBC seeks to fulfill the Great Commission and obey the Great Commandments by making disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that Jesus has commanded. The CBC is committed to loving God and loving others through worship, evangelism, and service ministries to those who are in need.

Third, God has sovereignly blessed the Covenant Brethren Church

Jesus said in Matthew 16:18b, “I will build my church and the gates of Hades cannot stand against it.” (NIV) Jesus has been building His Church, in part, through the Covenant Brethren Church these past six years. In response to God’s blessing and the CBC’s growth, let us thank God for His goodness to us and the growth He has provided. Let us also recommit ourselves to the statement of faith and the mission and purpose of the Church as stated in Matthew 22,25, and 28. For, as Rick Warren wrote on page 102 of The Purpose-Driven Church, “A great commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission will grow a great church.”

Brian Mackie – CBC Executive Board