A covenant is the structure of authority that defines five things about authority: 1) the source of authority, 2) the delegation of authority, 3) the standards of authority, 4) the transfer of authority and 5) the expansion of authority. Basileia’s fivefold charism, the five movements of the Liturgy, the five primary disciplines of our way of life and the five sections of our Canons are all reflective of this fivefold pattern of the covenant. The Scriptural basis upon which we operate in regards to the covenant is as follows: All relationships between God, man and creation, and among humans are either explicitly or implicitly covenantal. We therefore affirm that the covenantal pattern is God's ordained pattern for all nations and for all areas of thought and life. It is the “pattern which was shown you on the mountain” in contrast to the “pattern of this world” (Ex. 25:40; Rom. 12:2). Just as God's people are to “observe” all the “statues and judgments” of the covenant (Deut. 4:5, 6), so Christ has commissioned His Church to teach nations to “observe all things” He has commanded (Matt. 28:20). This is made practical as the Church fulfills her role as the keeper of the keys of the Kingdom in regards to all aspects of human society under Christ. The covenantal (or federal) view of mankind is central to the shaping of Christian civilization in general and of the Church in particular. It is so basic that, least it become invisible to citizens of the Kingdom of God who dwell in cultures that are becoming more covenantal, we must deliberately work at talking about it in order not to lose sight of it, but to self-consciously understand it (Deut. 4:9). Otherwise we will forget who we are (i.e., a holy nation of nations) and lose ground already gained. Therefore, we seek to pattern our understanding of Christ, Scripture, the creation, man, history, the Church, and the Kingdom of God around the covenant.
Also see Apostolic Rule of Faith, Catechism, Canons, and Liturgy.