Covenant

A covenant is a contract or agreement that is drawn up between interested parties. The important part of it is that it defines a relationship. In the Old Testament, of course, there is a covenant relationship between Israel and God. The relationship is defined through a complex system of laws which are to be obeyed in order to demonstrate this covenant. For a longer discussion and teaching about covenant you could have a look at a video at http://video.google.com called ‘What it means to live under the New Covenant (HQ)’.
The important aspect for us is that a covenant helps to bring us into a relationship. Although it might seem unnecessary to have a defined relationship in a small group, most members of healthy small groups have found that developing a covenant helps to keep the goals and objectives of the group in focus.

Some aspects of a covenant for a group should be:

1. Commitment to an agreed period of time for the group to exist. This aspect allows the group to know that there will be a beginning and end point. For example, the group might decide to meet on a weekly basis for a period of six weeks. This way members know that they can commit and exit without pressure. It is up to the group to agree on the duration but generally a year is the maximum time for an initial covenant. If the group want to continue beyond that then they will need a new covenant.
2. Starting and Finishing Time. Although this seems an obvious one, groups often remember to specify a starting time but don’t worry about a specified finishing time. This is a mistake because a loose finishing time can create a great deal of pressure on the hosts of the group. Additionally, some members will have a personality style in which elements such as punctuality are very important.
3. Components of the meeting. Different groups will have different components (a meal, study, prayer,testimony, games, music, worship) but it is very useful that members be clear about what will happen at each meeting.
4. Purpose and Focus. Whether specified or not, any organised meeting has a purpose. To ensure a healthy group, the purposes of the group do need to be specified. Some groups are attracted to the idea of a mission statement while for others this seems awkward. For specified ‘growth’ groups a mission statement is often a good idea.
5. Confidentiality. Most members understand instinctively that this is a fundamental rule of trusting relationships. Nonetheless, when a new group starts it is important to stress that what is shared in the group must stay within the group

There are other aspects of a covenant that any group might decide to implement. Some groups might want to make more explicit aspects such as a commitment to accountability, to openness, to sensitivity. A guiding principle of a covenant is to allow each member to be both clear and comfortable in his or her membership of a group.