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1 Corinthians 4:7-14
BY CAROL L. TRAVIS

For the last eight years I have been a member of a Covenant Discipleship (CD) group, which meets weekly for an hour at my church. We?ve learned the practice of mutual Christian accountability driven by the General Rule of Discipleship that states that we are to 'witness to Jesus Christ in the world, and to follow his teachings through acts of compassion, justice, worship and devotion under the gbwc_superuserance of the Holy Spirit.'

A disciple, the General Rule of Discipleship says, is governed by two great commandants: love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself.

On the surface that seems easy enough to do, but when we started to develop clauses under the covenant, we found that it was a difficult process.

We needed to come up with simple, specific, practical, observable, easy to track clauses that members were actually willing and able to do in acts of compassion, worship, devotion and justice. Each covenant also included a preamble, spiritual promptings, warnings and a conclusion.

During its development, we were gbwc_superusered by the Holy Spirit and reminded ourselves that grace is a dynamic of discipleship. We named our group 'Fruit of the Spirit.'

We started out with 11 people and currently have eight members who participate on a regular basis. While it is recommended that CD groups consist of up to seven individuals who would meet for one hour each week to hold each accountable, we found that the larger number allows for members? absences, so that there are always enough people present for a good session.

Our time together is a safe place where we can come no matter what condition we find ourselves in.

It has been an interesting journey. When the group first started we were acquaintances, friends, even strangers, but willing to give this accountability thing a try. We were able to create a safe place where we could grow and develop under the watchful eyes of each other.

Initially we were reluctant to confess to each other, now we warn and counsel each other in love. It has taken us eight years to get there, but it has been worth the time and energy invested.

What a humbling experience it has been to be accountable to each other as we move from membership to discipleship. I work hard daily to live out the clauses of our covenant in intentional acts of devotion, compassion, worship and justice. In 1 Corinthians 4, Paul suggests that everything we have and everything we are is a gift from God.

From my CD group, I have learned and understood what wonderful gifts I have, which allows me to pursue my passions. At the end of the day, it is easy to see where I have fallen short and to start new the next day with the same goal of becoming a better disciple. God?s grace is so amazing.

Carol L. Travis is a certified lay speaker at Asbury UMC in Washington, DC, and the administrative assistant at Mount Vernon Place UMC.