Behavioral Covenant

In order to maintain the unity of the church and our focus on the Great Commission and the Great Commandment, we agree to be guided by healthy norms. As part of that, we covenant together to follow these guidelines for loving, relationships and effective ministry.

1. We accept disagreement and conflict as normal, and will deal with them by speaking honestly and humbly with those directly involved, not with others. We will avoid both triangulation and escalation. (Matthew 18:15-17; Matthew 5:23-24, Romans 12:18; II Corinthians 105).

2. We will appreciate each person’s gifts and will respect others in both speech and action by listening carefully, speaking thoughtfully, and avoiding personal attack. (John 13:34; Romans 12:10).

3. We promise to maintain confidentiality in all personal, ministry, and professional matters.

4. We commit to processing major strategies and decisions as a “team,” allowing for emergency situations to be addressed by email or phone. (Is. 1:18; Eph. 4:3)

5. As people forgiven by Christ, we also seek to be forgiving, offering forgiveness to one another as necessary (Col. 3:13). We will believe the best of each other and give each other the benefit of the doubt (Php. 4:8-10)

6. We promise to support one another and the ministry of the church through prayer. (Col. 4:2)

7. We will respect both staff and lay leadership of the church and the decision-making processes of the congregation. We will recognize that the opinions of the minority can provide a “caution” from the Lord. However, once decisions are made, we agree to abide by them, even if different from our own preferences.

8. When there is a ministry “failure,” we will seek to understand the reasons for the failure in order to improve, not in order to blame.

Approved by Council October 25, 2012