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The half way covenant is a controversial form of partial church membership that occurred in the Congregationalist Church, during the 17th century in Puritan New England. The conflict surrounded the issue of church membership, which was very important to the church during this time. The covenant was an attempt to amend the criteria to become a full member of the church. Initially requirements to become a full member were very strict; to the point one's actions would affect the membership capabilities of their child. All the rules and stipulations that came with becoming a full member of the Congregationalist Church were discouraging people from joining the church, therefore decreasing membership. Once the church realized they couldn’t afford to keep losing members the half-way covenant was drafted.

Background

The origin of the half-way covenant resides in Europe and Anglo Saxon England. In these regions during the 17th century, the Congregationalist church was a very important figure in society and religion was essential to the survival of it. Within the Congregationalist church power was divided between the ministry and the congregation. Within the church was something called ministerial authority and there were two types: sacerdotal and contractual. The sacerdotal type of ministerial authority meant God’s call. The contractual type meant congregation’s appointment. Contractual ministerial authority was not successful within European Congregationalism, but for new world Congregationalists it was popular. The division and controversy within the church surrounding the covenant was church membership. The question was what should the requirements be for one to become a full member of the church?

References

Church Membership in the Congregationalist Church

Church membership was very important in the 17th century in Massachusetts. Political and social tensions concerning the criteria to be included in the body of the church were constant. Church membership was not something that was just handed it to you, but required work for you to earn it, and it wasn’t something that was easy to accomplish. Membership required one’s public display of experiencing God’s saving grace and this discouraged many people from joining the church. The steps to become a member of the church went as followed: get baptized, be approved by existing church members, profess an experience of saving grace, and consent to the church covenant. After these steps were successfully completed you were now a full member of the church and received the privilege of participation in the Lord’s Supper, which was another sacred rite like baptism. Your actions in becoming a member of the church did more than just affect you, but they affected your child. If you did not succeed in becoming a full member of the church or even attempt to, your child could not be baptized.

References

The Cambridge Declaration (1649)

The doors of Christ’s churches on earth do not stand so wide open that all sorts of people, good or bad, may freely enter as they desire. Those who are admitted to church membership must first be examined and tested as to whether they are ready to be received into church fellowship or not. … These things are required of all church members: repentance from sin and faith in Jesus Christ. Therefore repentance and faith are the things about which individuals must be examined before they are granted membership in a church, and they must profess and demonstrate these in such a way as to satisfy rational charity that they are genuinely present."

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The Drafting of the Half-Way Covenant

The covenant was drafted in 1662 in an effort to sustain the loss of church members as a result of the church’s strict membership rules. The covenant specifically addressed the issue of one's child not being allowed to be baptized if they weren’t a full member. With the drafting of the covenant a distinction was created between entering a covenant of grace and “owning” the covenant. Entering a covenant of graced occurred upon renewal and consent to a higher covenant. “Owning” the covenant meant declaring obedience to church members. Something else that came out of the covenant was the creation of the idea of a “half-way” member. Members who had been baptized and “owned” the covenant could remain members and have their children baptized BUT this didn’t make you a full member of the church; this minimum made you a “half-way” member. “Half-way” members would have to testify and attest to the Lord’s saving grace in order to participate in the Lord’s Supper, as well as become a full member.

The Effects

The Half-Way Covenant increased church membership by loosing the reigns of restriction on church membership, but decreased the amount of the people in the church that were full members, specifically referring to those who participated in the Lord's Supper. In addition to that division that occurred within the church, withing the town there would be a division of those who were half-way members and those who were no type of member at all. Cotton Mather, a spiritual leader in Massachusetts and Connecticut said it was hard to distinguish who was in covenant with God and who was not. Mather rejected the covenant along with another spiritual leader from the same region, Solomon Stoddard.

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Key People

Solomon Stottard: Solomon Stottard was a pivotal figure in the 18th century as a pastor in the Congregational Church. Stoddard was the minister of the First Congregationalist Church of Northampton, Massachusetts, an Evangelist preacher.His theology dominated western Massachusetts and most of Connecticut. "His theology was an alternative to the "Puritan new England Way", and many believe his teachings has something to do with what led to the Great Awakening. He centralized ministerial leaderships and preached in a powerful sermonic form. He himself made revisions to the membership policy of his church after the drafting of the covenant. His revisions stated that no one would have to make a public profession of the Lord’s saving grace in order to participate in the Lord’s Supper. In 1677 he washed his hands clean of his book of membership records, deciding that anyone who was leading a moral life and wanted to convert could enter his church as a full member. In addition to changing membership policy he changed the function of the Lord’s Supper in his church. He did this to stop the decline of religion in New England and to open his church doors to all who professed their Christianity. Instead of the Lord’s Supper begin a reward for a member’s conversion; it was now the means by which they were converted. He rejected the New England Church's obsession with church discipline, calling for "doctrine over discipline." Many disagreed with Stoddard, even those who were members of his church.

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