Covenant and Guiding Principles
Sharing Love, Doing Justice & Building Community
Guiding Principles & Covenant
“He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” — Micah 6:8 NRSV
Our Covenant
One Body, Many Members
Having been led by the Spirit to serve God as followers of Jesus Christ, and having chosen to enter into fellowship with Ravensworth Baptist Church,
We covenant together
To proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ to one another and to the world, to love all of
God’s children, and to do justice;
To commit to a life of stewardship in support of our church and its missions;
To engage regularly in worshiping God, studying the Bible, and caring for our community;
To equip ourselves and one another for a life of faith, expressed in an inward journey of prayer and devotion, and an outward journey of reconciliation and service.
Covenant Breakdown
Sharing Love
At Ravensworth, we are committed to following Jesus. That means taking seriously the things Jesus taught and stood for when he walked the roads of Palestine twenty centuries ago.
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Among the things Jesus taught were noncooperation with evil, compassion to the sick and wounded, inclusion of the outcasts, nonviolence, love for friend and enemy alike, forgiveness for sinners, and the creation of a community where all are welcome and love is the rule, not the exception. Jesus stood firmly in the tradition of the Hebrew prophets, who consistently called God’s people back to their covenant relationship with God by doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with God. We believe these teachings and the example Jesus set are still relevant today.
Doing Justice
We are as concerned about the quality of life for all people in this world because we meet in the Scriptures a God who has numbered the hairs of our heads and cares about every aspect of our lives. We know a God who wants us all to experience life in abundance.
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We also recognize that there are many forces at work in the world we inhabit that conspire to limit people’s access to abundant life. Hunger, war, extreme poverty, racism, sexism, homophobia, and all kinds of oppression are very real problems that God calls us, as people of faith to address. We do this because we believe in the reign of God. We believe God’s reign is present even in this broken world—sometimes only in little pockets, like blinking stars in a sea of darkness—but that it is destined to come in its fullness one day and all relationships will be ordered according to God’s good desires.
We see justice issues as intersectional, and a few close to our hearts (but by no means exclusive) to our hearts are: THRIVE Racial Justice Initiative through the Alliance of Baptists, Support for the LGBTQ community, Justice for Palestine & Israel, and Religious Freedom for all People.
Building Community
When we call our church a community of faith, it’s not mere lip-service. We take great pains to foster a sense of community in our congregation. When you connect to Ravensworth, you will
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be welcomed warmly and will have the opportunity to form close, caring relationships with our church family through worship, education, and service. Also, be sure to visit our Friends and Partners’ page to learn more about our connections to other organizations here in the DC Metro Area and around the world.