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Using the Community Group Covenant

Community groups have the potential to be places where God works powerfully to impact the lives of everyone in the group. But not all community groups live up to this potential. Why is it that some groups provide rich experiences, satisfying relationships, and meaningful life change, while other groups struggle to find their groove or maintain their purpose? There are two common problems that frequently undermine a community group’s development: unmet expectations and the natural tendency to drift. Fortunately, we have developed a tool that, when used well, can avert these problems and set the stage for a healthy and gratifying community group experience. This tool is the Community Group Covenant. In this resource, we’ll discuss:

  • What the Covenant is
  • Why your group will benefit from using the Covenant, and
  • How to use the Covenant effectively

What is the Community Group Covenant?

In short, the Community Group Covenant is a guideline for helping people to have the best group experience possible. It’s an agreement between group members of what they want and can expect out of a community group. More specifically, the Covenant is a document that communicates the purpose, values, and goals of community groups, and provides a framework for establishing the practical expectations of group members. The stated purpose of community groups is to provide a predictable environment where participants experience authentic community and spiritual growth. The stated values and goals of community groups are:

  • Relationships
  • Authenticity
  • Confidentiality
  • Respect
  • Availability
  • Multiplication

The Covenant briefly explains what each of these values and goals mean in the context of a community group. The Covenant also discusses logistical details, including the times and recurrence of group meetings, length and programmatic breakdown of group meetings, the planned life cycle of the group, and the “closed” nature of community groups. Finally, because the Covenant is, at its core, an agreement between the members of the group, it includes a place for each member to sign it, signifying their commitment to honor the Covenant.

Before we discuss the reasons for using the Covenant, let’s examine the hesitations that keep some groups from using the Covenant:

They don’t see the value in the Covenant. Because the layout of the Covenant somewhat resembles a form, it is sometimes viewed as an administrative formality—just something that the church wants each group to complete for management purposes.

They assume everyone is already on the same page. People often assume that everyone in the group has the same basic beliefs and the same expectations of what a community group should be. They may also assume that everything in the Covenant is common sense and therefore of little use.

They are scared off by the word “covenant.” We live in a culture that doesn’t like to commit, and a “covenant” sounds like a serious commitment. And because “covenant” is often used in a legal sense, some people fear that a group covenant will foster legalism in their groups.


Some groups don’t use the Covenant for these and other related reasons, while other groups are simply unaware that the Covenant exists. Whatever the reason, we have found that most groups are more willing—even anxious—to use the Covenant once they understand the Covenant and its purpose. And for that to happen, first the community group leader must understand the Covenant and its purpose.

Why should your group use the Covenant?

The primary reason to use the Community Group Covenant is to protect the health and development of your community group. The Covenant does this by:

  • Clearly establishing expectations
  • Giving predictability to the group experience
  • Increasing group members’ commitment and sense of ownership
  • Providing focus to the group
  • Serving as a tool for accountability and evaluation

Establishing expectations
Each member carries with them into the group a unique set of expectations. As a church, we have attempted to provide a clear picture of what community groups are all about. But the reality is that each person, based on their own past experiences and what they’ve heard from other people, has entered the group looking for a particular experience. If the group members don’t discuss their expectations early in the life of the group, there’s a good chance that those expectations won’t be met, leading to frustration, disappointment, and dissatisfaction with the group experience. The Covenant provides a vehicle for discussing expectations by calling attention to the purpose of community groups, the guiding values, and group logistics. As the group discusses these areas, each member gains a clearer understanding of how the group will operate. This helps align the various members’ expectations, as well as clarifying how those expectations will be met.

Building predictability
Part of the community group’s stated purpose is “to provide a predictable environment.” Why is predictability important? We believe that the ideal environment for fostering growth is characterized by a high level of trust and commitment. When group members experience a predictable environment—that is, they know who will be there and how the group meeting will go—they feel a sense of comfort and confidence that will allow them to be more authentic, which sets the stage for life change to occur. A predictable environment can actually encourage flexibility, because when bumps in the road arise, group members feel free to adapt, knowing that the group will return to its predictable state when the crisis is over.

Increasing commitment and ownership
Typically, when people fear commitment, it is not actually commitment they fear, but rather one of the following:

  • Fear that the object of their commitment will let them down
  • Fear that the object of their commitment will reject them
  • Fear that something better will come along, but they’ll be trapped by their commitment

As we’ll see, the Covenant can actually serve to limit the causes of these fears. For example, much of the feeling of being let down comes as the result of unmet expectations. As we’ve already discussed, however, the Covenant encourages the communication of expectations, reducing the likelihood that they will go unmet. The fear of rejection can be allayed by the group’s commitment to the values of relationships, availability, and respect. When these values are pursued, there is less risk of rejection. The fear of feeling trapped by a commitment will be alleviated in part because the Covenant has a defined life. At the end of 18-24 months, as agreed upon by the group, the community group’s run will end, as will the group members commitment to the group. As these fears are alleviated and the group members experience the benefits of community, their desire for commitment will actually grow.

The Covenant also instills a sense of ownership because it’s a mutual agreement between the group members. The commitment each person makes is not to the church or even to the group leader, but rather to the other members of the group. When group members agree to honor their commitment to each other and to the purpose, values, and goals of the group, they are agreeing to take responsibility for the growth and development of the group. For example, by agreeing to value relationships and availability, group members signify that they are committed to prioritizing and investing in each other personally—not depending on the group leader to make these relationships happen.

Providing focus
By clearly outlining the purpose, values and goals of the community group, the Covenant helps set the focus of the group. It defines success—group members experiencing authentic community and spiritual growth—and provides a path for getting there. For example, in order to experience community, group members must prioritize relationships and availability. In order for it to be authentic community, they must value authenticity, confidentiality, and respect. By establishing multiplication as a stated goal of the group, the Covenant helps the group to keep the end in mind.

Allowing evaluation and accountability
As we said earlier, one of the problems that undermines a group’s development is the natural tendency to drift. As group members grow more familiar with each other and the structure of the group, they may pay less attention to the values and guidelines that seemed so important when the group was first establishing its rhythm. Not only does the Covenant give a community group focus, it also provides a tool for evaluating the group. The Covenant sets forth the criteria by which the group’s health and development can be monitored. Whether the group is developing well or somehow missing the mark, the values, goals, and guidelines can help determine why. For example, the value of respect is described as follows: “Group members should never say anything that will embarrass their spouse or members of the group.” That’s something that can clearly be evaluated. Similarly, if a group that agreed to start at 7pm finds attendance a problem, it may be because group meetings have started to delay until 7:30 or 7:45, causing them to run late as well.

The Covenant also provides a platform for accountability. Because group members agree to honor the values and guidelines, the Covenant serves as a point of common ground when things go awry. In the previous example, if the group meeting has begun to start late consistently, reviewing the agreed upon start time from the Covenant can serve as the first step toward starting future meetings on time.

How can you use the Covenant effectively?

There is no one “right” way to use the Covenant, because each group is different, having its own set of distinct personalities. However, here are some practical tips for using the Covenant to your group’s advantage.

Introducing the Covenant
Most leaders find it works best to introduce the Covenant organically. Start with a question, such as “What is most important for you in this group?” or “What are your hopes and expectations of the group?” As the group members share their desires and expectations, you can explain that the covenant is a great way for the group to make sure they’re all on the same page, and that they get the most out of their group experience. You can also address the tendency of groups to drift, and present the Covenant as a way to protect against that tendency. Finally, you can explain that the purpose and values expressed by the Covenant not only reinforce a positive group experience, but also support the mission of the church to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.

Tips for introducing the Covenant:
  • After you’ve introduced the concept, give each member a copy of the Covenant, and then pass around a master copy for everyone to sign.
  • Mention the Covenant near the end of the starter period, or when the group transitions to being a regular group.
  • Consider doing a trial 8-week Covenant during the starter period to get group members used to the idea of a covenant.

Revisiting the Covenant
If the purpose of the Covenant is to protect the group and keep it on track, then the Covenant should not be a one-time-only tool. You will want to revisit the Covenant periodically (at least once every six months) throughout the life of the group in order to evaluate the group’s health and development. Take advantage of natural opportunities to review the group’s progress; if your group breaks for the holidays or for the summer, plan to spend one meeting prior to the break revisiting the covenant. If you notice that the group is drifting or that problems are beginning to arise, that may also suggest that it’s time to revisit the covenant.

Questions to ask when revisiting the covenant:
  • “Which value is especially important to you, and why?”
  • “How do you feel like group is going? Is our group meeting your expectations?”
  • “What are we doing well? How could we do better?” [Generally, or for each value]

How NOT to use the Covenant

Just as a wisely used Covenant can help the group, a poorly used Covenant can undermine its effectiveness. Here are some Don'ts to keep in mind:

  • Don’t approach the Covenant as an administrative formality or as “The church wants us to…”
    In reality, the Covenant was created for the benefit of the group, not the church. The main reason that groups are asked to provide a copy to the C-Group Coordinator is to increase the their understanding of the group when he or she is called upon to give direction to the group.
  • Don’t under- or overuse the Covenant.
    Obviously a Covenant that goes in a folder and never sees the light of day does not serve the group much good. But bringing out the Covenant once a month undermines its value. Revisiting the Covenant two to three times a year is a good rule of thumb.
  • Don’t be legalistic or make the Covenant “holy.”
    • While the Covenant should provide for accountability and predictability, the Covenant is there to serve the group members and not the other way around. If it becomes clear that changes need to be made (such as extending the meeting time from 90 minutes to two hours), feel free to revise the Covenant if the group members agree.
  • Don’t use the Covenant as a weapon.
    • The point of the Covenant is to protect the health and development of the group, and if you are using the Covenant to bend the group members to your will or force a member out of the group, you are missing the point.
  • Don’t mock the Covenant.
    As the group leader, the group will take its cues from you in how it responds to the Covenant. If you marginalize or make fun of the Covenant, that will limit your ability to use the Covenant to redirect the group when problems arise.

We hope that this resource will help you to understand the Community Group Covenant and how to use it to safeguard your group. We believe that by using the Covenant wisely and effectively, you can help your group live up to its potential as a predictable environment where your group members do, in fact, experience authentic community and spiritual growth.

Download the Covenant

 

 

Adapted from North Point Community Church, Atlanta GA