WHY COVENANT
GROUPS?
“Follow me and I will make you fishers of [folks].”
Matthew 4:19
The Message
Jesus said to them, “Come with me. I’ll make
a new kind of fisherman out of you. I’ll show
you how to catch men and women instead of
perch and bass.” They didn’t ask questions,
but simply dropped their nets and followed.
Captain Obvious
“A leader without followers is just someone out taking a
walk!”
Jesus calls us to:
1. Walk WITH him on the journey. No one walks alone.
2. Jesus is the teacher. Our task is to LEARN from him.
3. We are called to TRANSFORMATION and CHANGE.
4. We are called to PRODUCTIVITY.
EXPECTATIONS
“The secret to success is good leadership, and good leadership is all
about making the lives of your team members or workers better.”
Tony Dungy
What I expect of You:
1. Your Best – “A Game!”
Colossians 3:23 “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for
the Lord, not for human masters.”
2. Team Approach to Ministry – You are an extension of Jesus Christ but you are
yoked with each other.
3. Support – For me and for one another
4. Pray – for yourself, your family, me, cabinet, other pastors, churches, districts
5. Tithe / Generosity (Leaders set the pace)
6. Confidentiality
7. Honesty
EIGHT THINGS YOU CAN EXPECT FROM ME
1. Consistency
2. Support
3. Prayer
4. Concern / care for you and your family
5. Encouragement - “If you are under the bus I will be under there with
you!”
6. Trust / Loyalty
I will work to earn it; you can trust me to do the right thing and to do
the thing right.
7. Team Player / Honesty (when we make a decision it is OUR decision)
8. Love
WHAT CAN A COVENANT GROUP
DO FOR YOU?
1. Help you STEP-UP by providing SUPPORT.
2. Assist you in achieving your goals by providing
ACCOUNTABILITY.
3. Provide a SAFE PLACE for you to PROCESS with peers.
4. Offer mutual SPIRITUAL support.
5. Help you to BIRTH or to SHAPE VISION.
6. Help you to model our CONNECTION.
7. Assist you in FINISHING STRONG.
AN INVITATION
TO BE CLERGY COVENANT KEEPERS
ILLINOIS GREAT RIVERS CONFERENCE
UNITED METHODIST CLERGY
Do No Harm
Do Good
Stay in Love with God
IGRC UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
CLERGY COVENANT
As a clergy member of The IGRC, called by God to be a
servant minister of the gospel, having pledged myself to
live in covenant solidarity, I further covenant to move:
• From Career to Calling,
• From Competition to Collaboration,
• From Self-entitlement to Service,
• From Running each other Down to Building each other
Up,
• From Gossip to Gratitude for faithful ministry,
• From Isolation to Mutual Support and Accountability,
• Affirming those who Come Before Us while Supporting
those who Follow Behind
• We do this not for our sake, but for the sake of the Call,
and in order to build up the Body of Christ wherever
and however we are privileged to serve.
I am no longer my own, but thine.
Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed for thee or laid aside for thee,
exalted for thee or brought low for thee.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
thou art mine, and I am thine.
So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth,
let it be ratified in heaven.
Amen.