The members of the Board at their July meeting agreed that their discussions this year would be governed by the following covenants:*
- We promise to demonstrate our leadership and commitment to our fellowship by our example.
- We promise to support the Council on Shared Ministry and our staff so that their efforts can be most productive.
- We promise to try to discover what is best for our fellowship as a whole, not what may be best for us or for some small group in the fellowship.
- We promise to respect and care for each other.
- We promise to treat our time on the Board as an opportunity to make an important gift to the fellowship.
- We promise to listen with an open, nonjudgmental mind to the words and ideas of the others in the fellowship and on the Board.
- We promise to discuss, debate, and disagree openly in Board meetings, expressing ourselves as clearly and honestly as possible, so that we are certain that the Board understands our point of view.
- We promise to support the final decision of the Board, whether it reflects our view or not.
*Rendle, Gilbert R. (1999) Behavioral Covenants in Congregations. Rowman & Littlefield