Ministry Convictions & Values

We Have a Missiological Vision

We believe that Christ gives to every church He establishes a particular mission in conformity with the Great Commission.  The Apostle Paul taught from his own calling to the Gospel a missiological approach to ministry in I Corinthians 9:19ff.  There Paul models how he conformed to the cultural identity of those he was reaching without compromising anything of gospel truth, “so that by all means [he] might save some.”  At Covenant, we prayerfully seek to understand the “culture” of Bakersfield in order to translate our Reformed grasp of the Scriptures into ministry approaches and objectives.  We are committed to being “all things, to all peoples” for the sake of the gospel.

We Believe in a Multi-Church Strategy
We Practice Shared Leadership
We Exhibit Financial Transparency and Integrity
We Believe the Church Nurtures the Family

Ministry Departments

Worship — Worship at Covenant is the heart of our congregational life.  Corporate worship is our ultimate reason for existing, as we seek to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.  Our Sunday morning format normally follows a pattern of adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication, instruction and benediction.

Fellowship Life — At Covenant we are experiencing a deepening sense of community as we grow together in our faith and friendships with one another.  We enjoy being with one another, and we foster our fellowship and serving one another with several ministries.
• Monthly after church luncheons
• Quarterly all church family events
• Telephone prayer chain.
• Sharing of concerns prior to worship for congregational prayer
• Men’s and women’s prayer groups.
• Remembering birthdays and anniversaries

Equipping the Saints — At Covenant we use a multi-resource approach to help believers grow in maturity in Christ
• Sunday School classes for adults and children. 
   We teach the Bible and important topics of the Faith. 
• Sunday Evening Studies for adults and teens together - special studies that delve
   deeper into the biblical foundations of our Reformation based faith. 
• Small Groups, currently meeting for prayer, but also for Bible Study. 
• Lending Library – a growing resource of books, videos and DVDs,
• Personal Study Plans - with sequenced reading and study of good books,
   articles and excellent videos/ DVDs.
• Website Resources – of books, articles, DVDs; plus links to other good websites,
   so very valuable for personal and family growth

Service — We are committed to ministries of deeds as well as ministries of the Word.  We do this by our involvement in a variety of ministries that help those in the Bakersfield community who are facing difficulties in life.  These range from the homeless, to crisis pregnancies, to battered women, to elderly care.

Outreach — We devote a part of our offerings to the work of the Gospel in church planting efforts across the border in Mexico.  We also support a campus intern with the Reformed University Ministries at the University of Connecticut.  In town our men have begun an outreach called “Intersect” –  a discussion forum that meets in a local bookstore on a weekly evening, where issues of the Christian faith and culture intersect, and to which guys with questions may be invited.