Journal of European Baptist Studies, Volume 7, No. 3, 2007

fession, pp. 5, 14. Journal of European Baptist Studies Later, the Orthodox Creed of 1678 continues to hold the covenant idea as central to General Baptist thought. 9 Roger Hayden spells this out as follows: The new covenant is the basis for humanity’s acceptance before God, since the old covenant has failed. The new covenant in Christ is the foundation for a new relationship between God and humanity, and it is on this that the Church is built. The new covenant is God’s ‘free grace and love to fallen man’ and is freely and fully offered to all men on the terms of the Gospel, viz. repentance and faith. The practical emphases from this early period include a genuine sense of fellowship and community based on mutual, covenanted commitment to one another and to God, together with a commitment to ‘walk together and watch over each other’. This incorporates authentic sharing, care and edification. It is seen in the shared life of the church - including its discipline, of course. 10 Contemporary thought on covenant church Hayden suggests that the demise of the theological concept of the church as a covenanted community happened much later with the impact upon the church of Evangelicalism, which meant a greater emphasis on individualism and personal option, or choice. He comments that after the rise of Evangelicalism ‘“Church” no longer defined the community of Christ, it simply met an individual’s spiritual need.’ 11 There is some truth in this. However, despite this assertion, Baptists generally have been and continue to be strident in maintaining a covenant idea of church membership and commitment. For instance, the Baptist Union of Great Britain seems committed to a covenant model of church. The fairly recent publication, Patterns and Prayers for Christian Worship, appears to demonstrate this. It is explicit in the section ‘Reception into Membership’ which has the introductory statement, ‘We enter into covenant with them to share with each other in building up the Church to the glory of God, 9 Hayden, English Baptist History and Heritage , p. 32. Reflecting on early Baptist covenantal thought, G.W. Martin, The Church: A Baptist View (London: Baptist Publications, nd.), p. 29, suggests that the ‘impact of such a genuine community is incalculable’. 1,1 See, for example. Faith Bowers, A Bold Experiment: The Story of Bloomsbury Chapel and Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church, 1848-1999 (Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church, 1999), pp. 173-189. Bowers states that ‘gathered community’ churches ‘composed of members who have a positive commitment to Christ, demand of them godly lives’ (p. 173). 11 Hayden, English Baptist History and Heritage, p. 64. An understanding of covenanted church 9 working alongside one another in his service in the world, and encouraging one another in the love of God.’ 12 Changing the metaphor, but maintaining the idea, the church is asked whether it welcomes the candidate