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Mission 

Covenant Presbyterian Church continues to worship God, our Creator, and to glorify the love of Jesus Christ by:

• Purposefully seeking God's truth for our lives
• Preparing disciples to proclaim God's word
• Providing Christian education, insight and spiritual growth
• Projecting care, love and acceptance for God's people everywhere
• Praying for justice, peace and healing

Session

The Session is responsible for the mission and government of the Church. The Session has the oversight of our life together in worship, Christian Education, fellowship, and reaching out to our community and world. The Session accomplishes these tasks mainly through ministry councils, which are made up of Session members and members of the congregation at large. Our Session consists of elder members plus the pastors of the church. Elder members are elected by the congregation for staggered three-year terms, with one-third of the Session being elected each year.

The Session of elected and ordained (layman) elders, moderated by the Senior Pastor, is responsible for the total life of the congregation in its worship and work, and is implemented by the Session through various councils, each one being chaired by an elder with representation also from the Board of Deacons. Councils include the following areas: Worship, Christian Education, Administration, Property, Spiritual Care, Missions, Denominational Relations, Community Ministries, Membership, Finance, Stewardship, Fellowship, and Evangelism.

Each council prepares an annual budget to the Administration Council covering every aspect of its area of responsibility. The Business Administrator works with the Finance Council and the Senior Pastor to insure that the budget is administered with professional business and accounting procedures that satisfy the requirements of the Audit Committee.

The Book of Order specifies that, “The office of deacon as set forth in Scripture is one of sympathy, witness, and service after the example of Jesus Christ... It is the duty of deacons, first of all, to minister to those who are in need, to the sick, to the friendless, and to any who may be in distress both within and beyond the community of faith” (G-6.0401-2). The 16-22 members of the Board of Deacons (including one youth deacon serving a one-year term) feel called to serve God in such a capacity. Their involvement on the councils of our church has enabled them to offer sympathy, witness, and service in every arena of ministry in our congregation. The Deacons seek to be the hands of Christ, lifting the congregation up in prayer, helping share the burden of those in need, and leading all to the love of God in word and deed.

Board of Trustees The Board of Trustees represents the congregation of Covenant, and the Trustees serve as officers of the corporation, negotiating and signing all contractual matters on behalf of the congregation.

Our Beliefs

Here are our beliefs as developed and approved by the Session of Covenant Presbyterian Church, Fort Myers, FL.

Our core beliefs

• are scripturally rooted, basic beliefs of our church,

• are unchanging values in changing times,

• form the foundation for our church's life and ministry,

• help us judge the correctness of our Mission and Vision,

• are things we cannot surrender, and

• are foundational truths that give meaning and purpose to our lives.

CORE BELIEFS OF COVENANT PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

God is the sovereign Creator of all things.

Isaiah 40:21  "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lords sits enthroned above the circle of the earth…lift your eyes and look to the heavens: who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name."

1. We believe Jesus Christ is His only Son, our Savior and Lord, and the Head of the Church.

2. We believe the Holy Spirit is the living presence and power of God, alive in our hearts and in His Church.

3. We believe that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are eternally one God in three persons.

God, as revealed to us through His Son, Jesus Christ, desires to have a personal relationship with us.

John 3:16  "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever would believe in Him would not perish, but have everlasting life."

1. We believe that each member should seek the growth and development of their spiritual life in Christ through prayer, scripture study, worship, service, and fellowship.

2. We are called, as the Body of Christ, to then nurture and strengthen one another through the ministry of the church.

God calls us to build His Kingdom on earth through the sharing of His Word and service in His name.

Matthew 28:19-20  "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you."

1. We believe that each member, rooted in faith, is a minister also, and therefore is called to outreach and mission in this church, his community, and his world.

2. We believe that each member is called to build up the Church through the use of his spiritual gifts.

We subscribe to the essential tenets of Reformed Theology and the confessional history of the Reformed Church as expressed in the Book of Confessions and the Book of Church Order.

"The great ends of the church are the proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of humankind; the shelter, nurture, and spiritual fellowship of the children of God; the maintenance of divine worship; the preservation of the truth; the promotion of social righteousness; and the exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven to the world."
Book of Order, G1.0200

1. We believe the Scriptures to be the infallible (unfailing in their original autographs), authoritative, and inspired Word of God, our only rule for faith and practice.

2. We believe that we are, in sin, totally depraved and incapable of redeeming our own lives.

3. We believe we are saved by God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

4. We believe in the election of the saints of God to eternal life and salvation.

5. We believe the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper to be the outward, visible signs and seals of the inward reality of God's transforming grace.

6. We believe in the priesthood of all believers.

Our Core Beliefs find expression through:

• preaching,

• teaching,

• worship,

• prayer, both personal and corporate,

• scripture study, both personal and corporate,

• equipping of believers in Christ for growth and service,

• fellowship,

• stewardship,

• evangelism,

• missions,

• service,

• loving others in the unconditional love of Christ.

What do Presbyterians Believe?

• Presbyterian Worship Sacraments

• Infant Baptism

• Women in the Church

• Presbyterian History

• A Brief History of the Presbyterian Church

• Presbyterian Theological Beliefs

• The Brief Statement of Faith

• Jesus, The Holy Spirit, The Bible, Sin, and Salvation

About the Presbyterian ChurchGod comes to us in free and undeserved favor in the person of Jesus Christ who lived, died, and rose for us that we might belong to God and serve Christ in the world. Following Jesus, Presbyterians are engaged in the world and in seeking thoughtful solutions to the challenges of our time.

Presbyterians affirm that God comes to us with grace and love in the person of Jesus Christ, who lived, died, and rose for us so that we might have eternal and abundant life in him. As Christ’s disciples, called to ministry in his name, we seek to continue his mission of teaching the truth, feeding the hungry, healing the broken, and welcoming strangers. God sends the Holy Spirit to dwell within us, giving us the energy, intelligence, imagination, and love to be Christ’s faithful disciples in the world.

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