Staying Rooted, Living Unified: One Church’s Story

At its heart, the Alliance is a covenanted community of congregations rooted in Scripture and grounded in the historic creeds and confessions of the Reformed tradition. A covenant is more than a formality; it is a shared promise and intentional commitment between partners in ministry. Every five years, the Alliance has the opportunity, through its Networks, to revisit this covenant partnership with each congregation with the hope they remain theologically and missionally aligned with the Alliance. These reviews will begin soon for some congregations, however, for one congregation, that five-year rhythm has proven to be just the starting point.

Calvary Reformed Church of Ripon, California joined the Alliance of Reformed Churches in the summer of 2022. Pastor Brett Dood shares that while thinking about “all the theological issues that led to our gracious separation [from Calvary’s previous denominational home], it seemed imperative to assess and ensure that our Consistory leaders, staff, and congregation were all on the same theological page and working in unity toward the essentials of our faith.”

For Calvary, they have taken the five-year review and made it part of their annual rhythm. Their Consistory and staff review and sign the covenant every year. It is read each year during their congregational meeting. They include it in all of their distributed materials in an effort to ensure this is part of the culture and identity of the congregation.

This practice is an effort to guard against drifting from the essentials of their faith. By doing this, they hope to create room for honest discussion, reflection and important conversations. “If something has changed in a leader’s theology, we want to talk about it,” Dood explains. “Insisting that our leaders read the documents of unity and sign off on them is a great way to address minor (or major) shifts and align as an organization.” Calvary wants to be sure leaders are in agreement so that there is trust in leadership, unity in mission and they are a place that is clear on convictions. By being accountable and clear in their purpose, they continue to be anchored in a Biblical and Reformed worldview.

The Alliance’s five-year covenant renewal with congregations is an important and meaningful practice. But Calvary’s experience offers a helpful challenge: What is your congregation’s rhythm? Finding ways to being grounded and unified in God’s Word, and having ongoing conversations will help sustain your church for the future.