OUR BEHAVIORAL COVENANT
THE SESSION, ST. JOHN'S PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
March, 2010
It is the mission of St. John's Presbyterian Church to glorify God by making disciples and meeting human needs. To achieve this mission, we, the session, offer
Our Promises to God
1. WE PROMISE to seek God's guidance in making decisions by maintaining an active prayer life both individually and corporately and a diligent study of Scripture.
2. WE PROMISE to take seriously our session responsibility to use our time and talents wisely in disposing and allocating the limited congregational resources for our members and the community at large.
3. WE PROMISE to participate joyfully and actively in the worship service and to engage and encourage the congregation to do the same.
4. WE PROMISE to participate actively in service beyond the church, to educate ourselves of the needs in the community and to help St. John's use its resources to best serve the community.
Our Promises to the Congregation and Staff
1. In response to our discernment of God's call, WE PROMISE to pray for and lead our congregation and staff through example and mutual support, and to instill confidence in our ministry by reflecting the mission of the church in all decisions, words and deeds.
2. WE PROMISE to be visible, transparent and accessible to all members of this congregation and
to listen actively and non-judgmentally,
to respect all individuals,
to create an environment where
joys are celebrated,
healing is facilitated,
open and constructive communication is promoted, questions and concerns are welcomed,
misinformation is quelled, and
an atmosphere of trust and respect is fostered.
3. WE PROMISE to seek to recognize our own fallibility and strive to live and lead in accordance with Christ-like love and teachings.
4. WE PROMISE to nurture the spiritual life of this congregation and to challenge and equip our members to serve God's world.
5. WE PROMISE to honor our past, live in positive hopeful service in the present and to be faithful stewards as we plan for the future.
6. WE PROMISE to educate the congregation in what it means to be Presbyterian and how we organize and live out our ministry at St. John's.
Our Promises to Each Other
1. WE PROMISE to promote trust among ourselves:
to support each other in prayer
to treat each other with respect and consideration, recognizing our differences, focusing on each individual's strengths
to seek counsel and support from each other
to hold each other accountable in maintaining a positive and open environment, and
to respect the need for confidentiality in certain matters before session, and not identify individual positions on those matters.
WE PROMISE to communicate in these ways:
to listen respectfully and with an open mind before we speak
to reflect upon what we have heard, and
to speak directly and succinctly to the issue at hand
when in disagreement, to speak directly and promptly to the person(s) concerned, rather than to others
to conduct session business face-to-face in meetings, rather than via e-mail.
to define and respect boundaries.
WE PROMISE to support our shared leadership
to participate in discussions
to refrain from side conversations
to address difficult issues promptly and fairly
to strive for consensus
to vote our conscience(s)
to support the majority decision; however,
to address minority concerns directly to Session,
to step back quietly if unable to support the majority, and
to allow session to speak with one voice.
WE PROMISE to uphold these covenants:
to honor them at all times;
to review their relevance and our faithfulness to them at each Session Meeting.
