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Covenant Community
Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know you are my disciples, if you have love for one another--John 13:35
Covenant Community Within the Youth Ministry
• Do a calling process/retreat regularly (once a year). It is the sense of call that holds the group together.
• Celebrate birthdays and other special occasions.
• Have a meal twice a year at someone's home--don't do any business.
• Take regular one-day retreats together.
• Share affirmations of each other at a meeting.
• Check-in around different questions (Why do you feel called to be here tonight? What do you hope to receive from God in this ministry? What do you hope to offer to young people in this ministry? How's your family? What's one hope you're carrying? What is one longing you had as a teenager?)
• Rotate leadership of group. Have different people lead prayer, check-in, etc. each week.
• Have the group sit in a circle with only a candle or other symbol of beauty in the center of the group.
• Ask the group periodically "How are we doing as a group?"
• Do something fun together--see a movie, go ice-skating, kidnap some youth and take them out for dessert.
• If there is a pastor or paid youth pastor running the group...have them take regular breaks from the group to help group strengthen it's leadership skills.
• Have the group bring their family members to a dinner or get-together.
• Have group read Listening Hearts: Discerning Call in Community (first five chapters) and Grounded in God (both Morehouse Publishing).
• Read the appendix to Grounded in God. Copy guidelines for the whole group.
• Do lectio divina over "community" passages from the Bible (i.e. Acts 2, John 15, John 17, Ephesians 4, 1Corinthians 12).
• Pray for one another outside of meeting times.
• Have group members share regularly their response to the following question: "What do you hope to receive from God and what to you hope to offer God in this ministry?"
• Write out a covenant for the group. Then have each member sign it.
Trouble-Shooting
Specific issues always call for specific discernment...however these situations and ideas might stimulate your imagination.
• If the group seems to be disconnected from youth:
- Invite youth to serve on the Covenant Community.
- Pray the Awareness Examen over interactions with youth.
- Do lectio divina on youth artwork, writing or other youth expressions in youth group.
• If the group seems to be off-balance spiritually:
- Ask the senior pastor or other spiritual elder to sit in on the group regularly (once a month?).
- Do lectio divina on scripture consistantly.
- Have pastor or other elder do some Christian teaching with group.
- Ask the group, "Are we growing closer to Christ and one another in this meeting?"
• If business isn't getting done:
- Meet longer but less frequently.
- Use a time-keeper or "sand-timer-talking-stick" to keep check-ins and prayer responses shorter.
- Collapse check-in and sharing from prayer time.
- Prepare business agenda ahead of time make sure it is focused and ready for discussion.
- Delegate business items for people to work on over the phone/e-mail between meetings.
- Notice to the group that the business isn't getting done. Come up with a solution together.
• People are not listening prayerfully....regular interruptions.
- At a neutral time (like the beginning of a meeting), go over "listening guidelines" for the meeting with the whole group (See appendix of Grounded in God.).
- Practice phrases to say ahead of time when a person or the group gets off track...phrases like, "Could we take some time for silence?" "Has everyone who wants to speak had a chance to do so?" "Can we speak just one at a time?"
- Ask group members to "Call for Silence" anytime they notice the group is talking too fast....not listening for Spirit.
- Get group praying in silence early in the meeting.
- Lengthen opening silence.
• When attendance is erratic:
- Meet with persons outside of group and notice to them their attendance pattern. Ask them if they still feel called/committed to the group.
- Notice to the group the irregular attendance and ask group to come up with solution.
• When there is conflict between group members:
- Ask senior pastor or other elder to sit in and help advise/mediate.
- Have counselor/mediator help air out issues between individuals.
- Notice the tension to the group...have group decide how to resolve the issue.
- Pray for individual's.
- Keep people praying together.
- Have group share their personal call to this ministry....allow group to notice the common calls that unite the group.
- Invite group to speak honestly with one another..have the rest of the group members hold the space in prayer.
• When particular group members are using the group solely for personal healing:
- Have pastor or other elder attend meeting and advise.
- Outside of group notice this dynamic to the individual and suggest spiritual direction, counseling or participation in other church groups.
- Invite youth to participate in the community.
• When one member of the community is doing most of the work in the ministry:
- Notice this dynamic to the group and have the group create solutions.
- Assign and delegate tasks to specific individuals.
- Eliminate programs and tasks to lessen work-load.
- Discuss and create checks and balances to keep this dynamic in check.
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