The

Coordinator Meeting Notes

Of the

Word of God Covenant Community 1972-1973

Archived at the University of Michigan ~ The Thomas Yoder Papers.

Introduction These notes have been archived at the University of Michigan since the late 1980s. It is unclear if they represent a full accounting of all the notes that were created by the leaders of the Word of God during the period 1972-73. It is probably safer to assume they are incomplete. Despite this, they offer a fascinating glimpse into the minds of the men who would lead the Word of God to an astounding membership of 2000+ people by 1990. But back in 1972, The Word of God Covenant Community (precursor of the Sword of the Spirit) is only 5 years old. It took root almost immediately following the introduction of the Charismatic Renewal into the Catholic Church in 1967, when four men Bob Cavnar, Gerry Rauch, Ralph Martin and Steven Clark- began to hold Prayer Meetings in their apartment in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Little did they know how quickly their fellowship would grow. By 1972 there were easily 500+ men, women, families, children and students involved in the life of the Word of God. The center of the Community was the weekly Community Gathering (CG) which is a charismatic prayer meeting where God speaks to the community via prophecy and the exercise of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Also at these meetings, Clark and Martin exercise direction and control of the body. Charismatic worship is used to facilitate entrance into the presence of God, where members speak in tongues, receive words of Knowledge, utter prophecies (speaking in the first person as God would speak if he were standing in front of them) and give teachings under the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Other meaningful information is also passed along, primarily logistical in nature. During the week between gatherings, the community meets in a number of formats. There are pastoral groups of 5 8 members who meet with a pastoral head that exercises authority over them. There are service projects that require members to meet with a service head. (These projects are specifically focused on the Community and/or its outreaches, i.e. New Covenant Magazine or Charismatic Renewal Services.) Specific ministries meet to practice music or as intercessory prayer groups. Others meet and either teach or take courses that brings people deeper into the life of the community. They begin with Life in the Spirit Seminars (LSS) where people are prayed over for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit as well as observed for their fitness to possibly participate in the community. If not found lacking, they are offered an invitation to attend the Community Weekend (CW), where they are further introduced to concepts specific to Covenant Community as well as the warm, loving relations one experiences in the Community.

Further observed at the CW, they may be offered an invitation to participate in the life of the Word of God as an underway member (UM). Underway membership is the first formal relationship one enters into with the community. It affords one the opportunity to participate in pastoral groups and attend CGs. UMs are also required to take two sets of courses: Foundations I and II and become involved in service activities (of which there were many.) Again they are observed and assessed over a minimum two year period. If judged mentally and spiritually fit, they may be ready to make a Public Commitment (PC). The PC is a status of full community membership where one accepts the authority of the Coordinators to exercise obedience and subordination over the member and his family. (Subordination and obedience are discussed in detail in these notes.) A final status discussed in this document is the Permanently Committed. This is a new status that is slowly being introduced to the members. Permanent and Publicly committed members can only leave the community in right order by first undergoing intensive evaluation with their heads and coordinators. Commitment in the Word of God Covenant Community is taken very seriously, despite the fact that Coordinators and heads have no apostolic authority to make such demands. The primary architect of community structure is Steven B Clark, who formulated his ideas eight years earlier (1964) while working with the Cursillo Movement at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. He elaborated on his ideas in a manuscript known as the Dictator/Null Set Document1. It would become the blue print for the Word of God Covenant Community. While others might have been overwhelmed at the explosive growth and interest in the community, Clark was, the man with a plan who was just waiting for a Christian Community on which he could try out his Dictator/Null Set ideas. The Coordinator Meeting Notes of the Word of God Covenant Community 19721973 is a window into a vital time of community development. What this writer found to be astounding is the mission and purpose that leaders felt God asking them to fulfill. This vision would vanish at the end of the 1970s, along with the name of the community. In its place came a militaristic effort that completely altered the life and mission of the Word of God Covenant Community. July 29, 2011 John Flaherty Grand Island, NE johnandtimmy@hotmail.com
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http://www.scribd.com/doc/55907854