Introducing Covenant Discipleship Groups to Your Congregation

STEP 1: PILOT GROUPS

By far the most effective way of introducing Covenant Discipleship groups to a congregation is through pilot groups. These meet for at least a year, testing the format and preparing the congregation for the time when the groups are opened to the whole congregation.

A. Recruitment of Pilot Groups

1. Offer a general invitation to the entire congregation through several announcements from the pulpit, in the worship bulletin, or church newsletter along with copies of the Covenant Discipleship brochure. The brochures are a free resource that you may order by calling 877-899-2780, ext. 1765 (toll free).

2. In some cases the general invitation will not produce enough response to form a pilot group. A more intentional approach can be taken:

• Approach members of the congregation you think are ready to be accountable for their discipleship.
• Lead various groups in the congregation in a study for Accountable Discipleship: Living in God’s Household by Steven W. Manskar. Following the study invite those who are interested to form the pilot group.
• Make a presentation on covenant discipleship to Sunday School classes, UMW, UMM, UMYF. Use the video Fancy Footwork: Discipleship Wesleyan Style. Call 877-899-2780, ext. 1765 to borrow the DVD.

B. Pilot Groups Meet For One Year.

During the year the congregation is informed regularly about the progress and experience of the pilot group members. This can be done through occasional presentations to Sunday School classes, offering testimony during Sunday worship services, meeting with the Administrative Board or Council, UMW, UMM, UMYF and others. Communication with the congregation during the pilot year is vitally important for successful introduction of covenant discipleship groups.

STEP 2: OPENING THE GROUPS TO THE CONGREGATION

Pilot groups should begin with the clear objective of opening covenant discipleship to the whole congregation approximately one year later. This will take the form of a special covenant discipleship weekend, and a date should be placed on the church calendar, with publicity arranged well in advance.

The Covenant Discipleship Weekend is the proven way of opening covenant discipleship groups to the congregation as a whole. By no means will everyone be ready to join a group; but it is vitally important that everyone be invited to join. In this way, the congregation as a whole can have a sense of ownership of this new dimension of their ministry and mission. Likewise, those who make the commitment to join a group can be affirmed in their decision, without the rest of the membership feeling that covenant discipleship is in any way exclusive.

THE FORMAT OF THE WEEKEND:

1. The Friday Evening Meal
On the Friday evening, it is a good idea to begin with a church-wide meeting--if practicable, a covered dish supper or a family evening with dessert or refreshment. After the meal, the pastor or a guest speaker may give an introduction to the concept of covenant discipleship, following which the pilot group members can talk about their experiences of the past year. Their testimonies are invariably the high moment in the weekend.

2. The Saturday Seminar and Role Play
On the Saturday, preferably in the morning, a training seminar may be held. This should have two sessions: first, an account of the theology behind covenant discipleship groups, along with something of their origin in the Methodist tradition; and second, a practical explanation of how a covenant discipleship group functions, with members of the pilot group inviting other participants in the seminar to join them in performing a short role play of a typical weekly meeting.

A good resource for the seminar is the video set, Fancy Footwork: Discipleship Wesleyan Style available by contacting the Director of Wesleyan Leadership ([email protected], 877-899-2780, ext. 1765).

3. The Saturday Evening
When there is a guest speaker for the weekend, it is helpful to schedule a Saturday evening meeting with the administrative leadership of the congregation. The purpose of this is not to recruit them for group membership, but rather to ask for their support in accepting covenant discipleship as a new dimension of the ministry and mission of the congregation. The integration of the groups into the life and work of the church is vital to their purpose and effectiveness, and such a meeting can greatly facilitate that process.

4. The Sunday Worship Service
On Sunday morning, the weekend comes to its climax in the worship service, at which the invitation is made to the entire congregation to join a covenant discipleship group. The order of worship should indicate clearly that the focus of the service is to call persons to enter into a mutual accountability for their discipleship. The hymns should center on service and obedience to the will of God, and the text for the sermon should reflect the theme of working out our salvation--Matthew 21:28-32, for example, or Philippians 2:12-13.

There should also be a clear indication that there will be an invitation following the sermon to make a public commitment to a covenant discipleship group. This can be done by including in the bulletin a sample covenant of discipleship.

This is a suggested format for introducing accountable discipleship into your congregation. For more information it is strongly recommended you read Accountable Discipleship: Living in God’s Household by Steven W. Manskar and Covenant Discipleship: Christian Formation through Mutual Accountability by David Lowes Watson. These books are available from Cokesbury, and Amazon.com.

Members of the covenant discipleship groups are strongly encouraged to read and study Covenant Discipleship: Christian Formation through Mutual Accountability by David Lowes Watson. This book provides practical information on how to write a covenant and lead the weekly meeting.

For More Information:

For more detailed information on the role of Covenant Discipleship in the life and mission of the congregation and introducing and supporting the ministry of Covenant Discipleship groups, please read Forming Christian Disciples: The Role of Covenant Discipleship and Class Leaders in the Congregation by David Lowes Watson. You may purchase a copy at Cokesbury or at Amazon.com.