At the conference last week, Russ Robinson mentioned the covenant that his small group uses as a guideline for group life. Thanks to the initiative of Debbie Christie, I have posted a copy of that covenant below. In addition to that covenant, I have included a couple of other covenants in pdf. format.
The group covenant is an interesting tool. It is meant to give everyone in the group a clear understanding of the expectations and responsibilities for the group. This allows everyone to be on the "same page" when it comes to what group life will be like.
In my own group, we went over group expectations such as confidentiality, openness, authenticity, fellowships, and being on time. My shortcoming in regard to the covenant was not putting it in writing, although we do touch on the topic about once a quarter.
If you are a new group, you should certainly use a covenant. It is a great way to get your group started and gives you great shot at being healthy from the beginning. If you are a current group, it is a little more difficult to add a covenant but is certainly worth the effort. I would suggest you modify one of the included covenants to make it your own. The more personalized it is for your specific group, the more effective it will be in guiding the group.
Russ' small group covenant
Other small group covenant (Willow Creek)
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