Covenant Discipleship Groups
Covenant Discipleship Groups
WHO WE ARE: Adults who desire to help one another grow in discipleship as they watch over one another in love.
WHAT WE DO: A Covenant Discipleship Group is a group of 6-10 persons who meet together for one hour each week to hold one another mutually accountable for their discipleship.
OUR WHY: Covenant Discipleship Groups are part of the congregation’s mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Covenant Discipleship Groups are trustworthy and effective means of identifying and nurturing leaders in discipleship for mission and ministry.
WHERE & WHEN WE MEET:
Wednesdays @ 6:00-7:00 PM in Education Building
Rooms 201, 202, 203, 205 (second floor)
Nursery is available.
Spark Kids & Forge Youth run simultaneously.
CONTACT INFORMATION: monica.odonnell@kfumc.org
NEXT SESSION:
Fall 2023
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, PLEASE RESERVE YOUR SPOT FOR THE NEXT SESSION BY EMAILING MONICA.
The General Rule of Discipleship...
...helps Covenant Discipleship group members to practice a balanced and varied discipleship. The General Rule is a contemporary restatement of The General Rules John Wesley developed for the Methodist societies in 1742. It is simple and elegant: “To witness to Jesus Christ in the world and to follow his teachings through acts of compassion, justice, worship, and devotion under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.” A Covenant Discipleship group writes their own covenant together. The covenant is shaped by the General Rule of Discipleship. It serves as the agenda for the weekly one-hour meeting.
Tell Me More
Covenant Discipleship Groups Are...
• up to 7 persons who meet for one hour each week. • guided by a covenant they write, shaped by the General Rule of Discipleship. • where Christians give a weekly account of how they have witnessed Jesus Christ in the world and followed his teachings, guided by the group’s covenant. • where Christians help one another become more dependable disciples of Jesus Christ. • a proven and effective way of nurturing and identifying leaders in discipleship the church needs to live out its mission with Christ in the world.
DISCIPLESHIP IS HOW CHRISTIANS LIVE OUT THE BAPTISMAL COVENANT
It is the way of life shaped by the teachings of Jesus Christ,
summarized by him in Mark 12:30-31,
“you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with
all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.
… you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
A disciple is a person who allows his or her life to be conformed
to the life of a beloved teacher. A disciple seeks to become
like the teacher. Disciples of Jesus Christ are people who align
their own desires, goals, and habits with the desires, goals, and
habits of Jesus Christ.
The apostle Paul describes the goal of discipleship in
Philippians 2:5,
“Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.”
Covenant MEANS THERE IS A RECONCILED RELATIONSHIP
Covenant tells us God seeks and keeps reconciled
relationships with others. Jesus Christ is God’s covenant love in flesh and
blood. We experience this love as costly grace, God’s hands open and
outstretched to the world on the hard wood of the cross. Christians are people
who accept God’s offer of covenant love in the water of baptism. They respond
by turning away from sin and accepting the freedom and power God gives to
resist evil. They confess Jesus Christ as Savior, put all their trust in his
grace, and promise to serve him as Lord within the community of the church.
Christians understand that the life of covenant love cannot be lived alone; it
requires a community of prayer, forgiveness, and love. Christians are covenant
people.
Groups are Discipleship Incubators
It takes a Christ-centered community of love and forgiveness to make disciples.
Jesus gave his disciples a new commandment:
“… love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35).
Disciples obey this new commandment when they meet regularly in small groups. They pray for one another, the church, and the world. They also give an account of how they have walked with Jesus in the world since they last met. The group works together to help one another become more dependable and mature disciples of Jesus Christ, as well as leaders who disciple others and help the church live out its mission for the transformation of the world.
Wesley Disciple-Making
Small groups that focus on mutual accountability and support for discipleship are the “method” of Methodism. These groups have their roots firmly planted in the Wesleyan tradition. The roots go even deeper when you consider that John Wesley described Methodism as his attempt to re-tradition “primitive” Christianity. He said, “The soul and the body make a [person], and the spirit and discipline make a Christian.”
Covenant Discipleship groups help Christians to grow in loving God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love their neighbor as themselves. They are a proven and effective way of forming leaders in discipleship who help the congregation to live out its mission with Christ in the world.
Covenant Discipleship groups form Christ-centered people who help to lead Christ-centered congregations that participate in Christ’s ongoing work of preparing the world for the coming reign of God, on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10; Luke 11:2).
Recommended Resources
Accountable Discipleship: Living in God’s Household by Steven W. Manskar Provides Biblical, theological, and historic foundations for Covenant Discipleship.
A Disciple’s Journal by Steven W. Manskar Designed for use by Covenant Discipleship group members, the book is a guide for daily prayer, Bible reading, and discipleship shaped by the General Rule of Discipleship.
Disciples Making Disciples: A Guide for Covenant Discipleship Groups and Class Leaders by Steven W. Manskar Provides information needed to organize the ministry, form groups, write a covenant, lead a meeting, and support groups so they can help the congregation live out its mission of making disciples for the transformation of the world.
Everyday Disciples: Covenant Discipleship With Youth by Chris Wilterdink Resources pastors, youth leaders, and youth groups with information and planning materials related to Covenant Discipleship and accountability practices.
Growing Everyday Disciples: Covenant Discipleship With Children by Melanie C. Gordon, Susan Groseclose & Gayle Quay Connects children with one another, their adult leaders, and Jesus through mutual accountability and support for following his teachings in the world through acts of compassion, justice, worship, and devotion under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Covenant Discipleship Group Coordinator
