A Covenant of Spiritual Practices
In response to God's unqualified love for us, we covenant to common practices
through which we submit ourselves completely to the purposes of God
who longs to transform us into the likeness of Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit.
through which we submit ourselves completely to the purposes of God
who longs to transform us into the likeness of Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Here are the common practices. A page of resources will be developed for each one. Links to these pages are in blue.
Shared spiritual practices
Central Plains Mennonite Conference and Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference have committed themselves to these practices.
1. We will worship God as the central act of our common life whenever the church is gathered.
2. We will practice prayer, fasting and generous giving to separate ourselves from the influence of the principalities and powers of this age and to make us available to fully participate in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
3. We will prayerfully study the Bible together weekly in our congregations and whenever the conference gathers, guided by qualified teachers for the purpose of increasing our competence in reading, interpreting, and applying the scriptures in an Anabaptist perspective to our everyday lives and to the critical issues of faith we face in the world.
4. We will accept and offer hospitality, believing it creates the context for God’s kingdom to appear in our midst, particularly as we minister to the poor, the hungry, the prisoner and the stranger.
5. We will study the Bible with neighbors and strangers, inviting them to become disciples of Jesus.
6. We will practice peacemaking by extending loving-kindness and forgiveness to our brothers and sisters as well as to our neighbors and enemies.
2. We will practice prayer, fasting and generous giving to separate ourselves from the influence of the principalities and powers of this age and to make us available to fully participate in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
3. We will prayerfully study the Bible together weekly in our congregations and whenever the conference gathers, guided by qualified teachers for the purpose of increasing our competence in reading, interpreting, and applying the scriptures in an Anabaptist perspective to our everyday lives and to the critical issues of faith we face in the world.
4. We will accept and offer hospitality, believing it creates the context for God’s kingdom to appear in our midst, particularly as we minister to the poor, the hungry, the prisoner and the stranger.
5. We will study the Bible with neighbors and strangers, inviting them to become disciples of Jesus.
6. We will practice peacemaking by extending loving-kindness and forgiveness to our brothers and sisters as well as to our neighbors and enemies.
