The Half-Way Covenant

As the first generation of Massachusetts Bay settlers began to die off by the middle of the 17th century, the Congregational churches faced a membership crisis. "Full participation had been limited to the 'Visible Saints' those who had made a public affirmation of their faith and had been accepted into membership by a vote of the congregation," (Mulder 134). The second and third generation of Puritans did not have the same religious ambition their fathers had …

…different gender and social classes. It also lessened the difference between the "elect" members of the church from the regular members; as a result, women soon made up a larger portion of Puritan congregations. In all, the Half-Way covenant infused a positive change in the colonial church. Work Cited The Half-Way Covenant Mulder, J.M. Religion in American History Copyright 1978 Prentice-Hall Olmstead, C.E. History of Religion in the United States. Copyright 1960, Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1960.