agreement before momentum
Circle Covenant Template
A covenant is the operating agreement for a circle. It names the purpose, standards, boundaries, and process before pressure arrives.
What a Covenant Covers
- Circle name and purpose.
- Meeting format: in-person, online, or hybrid.
- Meeting frequency and duration.
- Membership: open or closed, and how men join.
- Confidentiality agreement.
- Safety boundaries.
- Decision-making process.
- How to amend the covenant.
Template Sections
- Purpose: why the circle exists and what kind of work it supports.
- Membership: who can join, how men enter, and when the circle closes.
- Meeting rhythm: format, frequency, duration, and attendance expectations.
- Confidentiality: what stays in the circle and what requires action.
- Safety boundaries: conduct standards and out-of-bounds behavior.
- Decisions and amendments: how the covenant changes without drift.
use it together
How to Use This Template
- Gather your founding members: 3-8 men.
- Read through each section together.
- Discuss and agree on each point.
- Customize to fit your circle.
- Every member signs or acknowledges.
- Review annually.
Standards make the circle safer.
A covenant does not make men perfect. It gives the circle a shared standard to return to when trust, pressure, or conflict tests the work.