A Fundamentalist Woman's Covenant (Group Membership)

[Burris]

(On the blog ginaduke.com/2014/12/womens-ministry-wednesday-6-faithful-covenant-statements-for-your-team)

Ever wonder what some of the agreements look like for those women who join fundamentalist groups?

I've actually found one - and frankly, I wouldn't sign it in part because of just how open to interpretation some of the clauses are.

Here is the post in full. The corrections - I'm sorry; I couldn't help it - are mine. They are recognizable by the strikethrough followed by a corrected version.

Have you considered utilizing using covenants for your women’s ministry?

Welcome to Women’s Ministry Wednesday!

The term “[C]ovenant†is a biblical term. It is very similar to a promise.

(ADDED: In what way?]

One of the first and most memorable covenants is when God promised to never destroy the world again by flood, and left us the beauty of a rainbow as a sign. To me, a covenant is more serious than a promise, just like marriage is more serious than “going steady.†(ADDED: Again, in what way? The dictionary describes the covenant as a contract; an agreement; a pledge. How, besides that it sounds cooler, does that differ from a simple promise.)

I recently attended the Women’s Ministry Leader’s Forum [italics mine] sponsored by Lifeway, and in one of my sessions many of the leaders shared how they required their leadership teams to sign covenant agreements. Although, I have not required my core leadership team to sign a covenant, I do require all of the women who participate in our women’s involvement ministry to sign one. [ADDED]

Our women’s involvement ministry team is made up of eight teams of 4 to 6 four-to-six women, so I believe that it is important that they recognize how important their positive participation is in that team. By signing a covenant, it helps convey the importance of this ministry, expectations of excellence and unity. [ADDED]

[Wo]men's [M]inistry [C]ovenant tatements

In the event that you are interested in using a covenant, here is the one I use below. Perhaps you can borrow some of its verbiage? the template, and customize it for your own use.

I, ____________________, am making a covenant promise to the best of my ability to be an active, cheerful and dedicated to contribute as according to my gifts, to treat other members with respect, and to extend myself in an effort to learn team member in our women’s involvement ministry through the following actions:

1) I will faithfully attend required meetings as often as possible, by showing up prayed up and ready to add value having studied the required material and being prepared to share what I learn

2) I will faithfully participate on with my team with a spirit of Excellence and Cooperation in an effort to foster trust and spirit of cooperation

3) I will faithfully love and honor respect my other team members[, building them up] with kind and uplifting words and actions

4) I will faithfully exercise my flexibility and patience in all circumstances My first recourse will always be patience in an attempt to understand another person's point

5) I will faithfully rid my life of work to control the most egregious of my common sin - that may interfere with my ability, setting it aside to the best of my ability that I may minister and witness [with a clean conscience]

6) I will faithfully complete all tasks set before me and my team for the Glory of God! I will do no harm, nor violate the dictates of my conscience, the rights of others, nor the commandments of my God

Overwhelmingly, I heard other leaders say that they also added a statement about the participant’s husband being in agreement with her participation in the women’s ministry. So, you may want to consider this as well[:]

[ASIDE]

If you use a covenant, please share some of your verbiage ideas in the comments section below, which will provide us with a robust database of usable covenant statements for future reference.

Thank you!

(What amuses me is that our marriage compact was shorter than this - and more austere.)

[DGayle]

That's reelly showing the mad skillz you can espects to lern at the skool of the dinning room tabel.

[RachelB]

Burris, I like your changes! Not only do they improve the document's grammar, they also improve its model of human emotion. It's not realistic to promise to feel cheerful all the time. It is realistic to commit to behaving respectfully to others, even when one is having a bad day.

[Burris]

Burris, I like your changes! Not only do they improve the document's grammar, they also improve its model of human emotion. It's not realistic to promise to feel cheerful all the time. It is realistic to commit to behaving respectfully to others, even when one is having a bad day.

Thank you.

My problems, aside from the shoddy way the document was initially written, are (a) that leaders had not been asked to sign, and (b) that some of the clauses were impossible for any person to keep without failing at least occasionally.