Historically the backbone of the Ministry has been our Covenant with several bodies of faith. These Covenanting Denominations have long supported the organization through resources, space and volunteers. In turn they have seen Rural & Migrant Ministry as a facilitator of their ministry in rural New York.
Through the support of the New York State Council of Churches, a unique Covenant was established in which each of these denominations would continue their ministry in partnership with each other through the creation of Rural & Migrant Ministry (RMM.) In subsequent years, several other faith bodies entered the Covenant: Roman Catholic, United Church of Christ and the New York Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers.) Therefore, RMM was to be ecumenism at its best, while at the same time serving as the rural ministry of each of these denominations. RMM was also to be an independent non-profit organization. As one denominational leader has said, the importance of this Covenant is that it has allowed RMM the ability to be a part of the denomination and at the same time, since RMM is not completely controlled by the denominations, the freedom to be prophetic.
Current Covenanting Denominations include:
- Hudson River Presbytery
- Regional Synod of New York, Reformed Church in America
- Albany Presbytery
- Capital Area Baptist Association
- Episcopal Diocese of Long Island
- Episcopal Diocese of New York
- Episcopal Diocese of Rochester
- Mid-Hudson/Union Baptist Association
- Orange Classis, Reformed Church in America
- Mid-Hudson Classis, Reformed Church in America
- New York Annual Conference, United Methodist Church
- New York Conference, United Church of Christ
- New York Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
- Long Island Presbytery
- Roman Catholic Diocese, Albany
- Roman Catholic Diocese, Rochester