Our Pursuit of the Whole Gospel

I recently had a delightful and delicious dinner with an amazing Christian couple. Married for more than 50 years, they are deeply appreciative of their Covenant roots and relationships, and our conversation included the health and direction of the Covenant Church. He was passionate that we needed more verbal proclamation of the Gospel. I agreed. She was thankful that in recent years we have been more forthcoming in pursuing racial righteousness and biblical justice. I agreed.

Such is life in the Covenant. And why I love it so much! Our mission is not either/or. It’s both/and.

We find ourselves having similar conversations on social media, at church, and around the dinner table. My family is no exception. While we were watching an Oregon Ducks football game, we got into a lively discussion over this very matter. It was more passionate and entertaining than cheering for the Ducks.

These conversations are particularly important to me because I grew up thinking I had the whole Gospel, but really with only half. I was raised in a proclamation-oriented church, which I loved because at some point we do need a verbal witness. It is so exciting to see people say yes to Jesus.

I am reminded of the Apostle Paul’s words: “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news…faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.… Their voice has gone out into all the earth. Their words to the ends of the world” (Romans 10:14-18). Clearly, we see an emphasis on the verbal proclamation of the Gospel here.

But there is so much more to the Gospel. It was not until I became a Covenant pastor that I began to more fully understand the whole Gospel—both proclamation and demonstration. I’m so grateful for how the Covenant continues to shape all of us in becoming well-rounded disciples of Jesus. The way I see it, Gospel balance is a discipleship matter—it’s about pursuing the Great Commission in all its fullness.

It is a false dichotomy to frame proclamation and demonstration as opposites. Whenever we are tempted to do so, we do well to remember that one of our Covenant Affirmations is a commitment to the whole mission of the church. We proclaim the good news of the kingdom, and we demonstrate the good news of the kingdom: not either/or but both/and.

Gospel balance is a discipleship matter—it’s about pursuing the Great Commission in all its fullness.

Proclamation and demonstration are like the two wings of a plane. Both are needed for it to fly and function as designed. As is true for the kingdom of God.

With that being said, perhaps you feel as if we’ve been in a season with a strong emphasis on demonstration. Many of our stories lately reflect an emphasis on pursuing racial righteousness, reconciliation, and biblical justice. I understand that may feel like an “imbalance.” Even so, it is vital for us to speak biblically and prophetically to the times in which we live. I am often inspired by the tribe of Issachar. They were commended as a people “who understood the times and knew what Israel should do” (1 Chronicles 12:32). May we as Covenanters discern what the Spirit is doing in our time and then create new wineskins to hold the new wine of the Spirit.

I am personally looking forward to, and hope you will notice, a greater emphasis on proclamation in the upcoming season. Last fall we held our first-ever BLESS Covenant Evangelism Conference where Michelle Sanchez, executive minister of Make and Deepen Disciples, and Dave Ferguson, founder of Exponential, spoke about creating a culture of evangelism. Michelle’s keynote talk was entitled “A History of Evangelism Culture in the Covenant,” through which you can learn more about the Covenant’s commitment to the whole Gospel over time. You can hear her talk and others from the conference at CovChurch.org/bless.

At Midwinter 2022, the story continues as Michelle and Dave share the stage as plenary speakers. We look forward to dedicating an entire afternoon to evangelism at Midwinter as we sustain our pursuit of the whole Gospel and focus on both proclamation and demonstration.

At the end of the day, the heart of the Covenant is for the whole Gospel. Our desire is for all people to know Jesus as Savior and Lord. We resonate with Paul who wrote in Romans 10:1, “Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.”

The Covenant is always about connecting people with Jesus. We are at our best when we are grounded in Scripture, calling out the best in each other, and sharing stories of holistic transformation and hope. Our core identity hasn’t changed. It revolves around our Covenant Affirmations and our three key questions: Where is it written? How goes your walk? Are you alive in Christ? This is who we are, and this is who we will continue to be. As we remain faithful to our core identity in an ever-changing society, I have great hope for the future of the Evangelical Covenant Church.