Spiritual Formation

A Covenant Discipleship group consists of approximately five to seven members who want to grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ through mutual accountability and support. They meet once a week for one hour to pray and "watch over one another in love." The group writes its own covenant based on the General Rule of Discipleship. This covenant guides the group’s discipleship and serves as the agenda for the weekly meeting.

The General Rule of Discipleship is: "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." The General Rule of Discipleship encourages a balanced and varied discipleship. It is balanced between works of mercy (acts of compassion and justice) and works of piety (acts of worship and devotion). It also balances the personal (compassion and devotion) and social (justice and worship) dimensions of discipleship.

The General Rule of Discipleship represents a holistic, Christ-centered discipleship. It is like a tent held up by four poles. The tension on the poles needs to be equally distributed if the tent is to stand.

The weekly meeting is a compass heading for discipleship that keeps group members on course in their walk with Christ. The format is to begin with prayer and then to go through the covenant, clause by clause, with the leader asking every member in turn, including himself/herself, to give an account of his/her discipleship during the past week in light of the covenant. The meeting is not to exceed one hour. This requires a brisk pace and a focus on the agenda. However, as the group develops the skill of mutual accountability, sharing increasingly takes place in an atmosphere of trust and Christian fellowship. The meeting is not where discipleship happens. It is where we make sure it happens.

First Church currently has 7 Covenant Discipleship groups. Some meet in the morning, some in the afternoon, and a few meet in the evening. New groups are always being formed. If you think you might be interested in being a part of this ministry, call the church office at 332-6396.