Transformation is not a destination. It is a journey.
Covenant Connections began with a conviction: deep spiritual transformation happens through life with God and life with the right people. For pastors and ministry leaders, that kind of life-giving community can be difficult to find. Covenant Connections exists to help leaders experience it.
How It Started
Cracking the code of transformative soul care.
Alan Ahlgrim had been trying to crack the code of transformative soul care for decades. He recognized that transformation is not a destination but a journey — and that journey could not be taken alone.
After leading a large church in Colorado, Alan observed that many pastors and staff leaders were struggling to see transformation in their own lives. He dedicated his retirement years to helping individuals move from “head land to heart land.”
That burden became the beginning of Covenant Connections.
Mission + Values
Change of place + change of pace + change of people = change of perspective.
Our Approach
Soul work is slow work, and it is shared work.
Alan believed the missing element in spiritual transformation for many leaders was life with the right people. Covenant Groups were developed as safe and confidential communities where pastors and ministry leaders could process life, experience healthy relationships, and help one another serve well and finish well.
The group model was intentionally small and relational. It was not designed to be rushed. Soul work is slow work, and it is shared work.
Expanding The Vision
Growing the reach without losing the heart.
In about ten years, Covenant Connections grew to 100 participants and 10 facilitators. At a retreat with several leaders, the dream began to expand: 10X in 10 years.
That expansion would include training additional facilitators, developing new ministry partners, translating Soul Strength into several languages, and creating a coaching arm within the ministry.
Even as the vision expands, the heart remains the same: helping pastors and ministry leaders experience soul-strengthening community.
New Leadership
Carrying the legacy forward.
After the death of founder Alan Ahlgrim, Rick Grover became the Executive Director of Covenant Connections in July 2025.
Rick had been with the ministry from the beginning as an early adopter of the Covenant Connections vision and one of its most committed group leaders. Alan had chosen Rick to be the next leader of the ministry, never expecting the transition to happen so suddenly.
Rick continues to lead Covenant Groups and carries the ministry forward with a focus on soul care, spiritual health, emotional health, and helping leaders serve well and finish well.
Where we are headed...
Covenant Connections is continuing to grow so that more pastors and ministry leaders can experience the kind of community their souls need. Through Covenant Groups, facilitator training, prayer ministry, resources, partnerships, and leadership development, the ministry is working to help leaders move from isolation to connection, from surface-level conversation to soul-level honesty, and from simply surviving ministry to serving with strength.