Covenanting A Practice of Spiritual Leadership

A cross section of young grass showing roots and dirt, stems, and blue sky. 'Covenanting' is superimposed in white lettering.

Covenanting is at the heart of the practice of Unitarian Universalism. Our religious ancestors created our tradition as a faith community bound not by allegiance to a particular creed — that is, specific beliefs — but rather by faithfulness to a covenant — that is, a set of mutual promises to each other and to something greater than ourselves.

Over time, the practice of covenanting in many congregations has been reduced to behavioral covenants and used as a way to monitor behavior between individuals. This leaves out so many important aspects of covenanting: living our commitments to Spirit, Justice, Love, Earth; to ancestors and generations to come; to other UU congregations who are part of our Association.

Spiritual Leadership calls us to remember that covenanting is a practice, not a product. There are ways to practice covenanting that are multidimensional and liberating, and that help us learn skills needed to contribute to liberation in the world.

“Covenanting” Posts From Our Practice Makes Possible Blog

  • An illustration of diverse people on many balconies of several buildings.

    So, friends, let’s practice together. I invite you to engage in some reflection about whether and how you are bringing that individualism into your practice of covenant and what a deeper practice of covenant can make possible for us.

    By Erica Baron | September 21, 2020 | From Covenanting
    Tagged as: 6th Principle (World Community), Christianity, Covenant, Covenant, Judaism, Six Sources