Believing above all things that we are called by Christ to love one another (Matt. 22:38-40) and that the actions we take will always affect people in our congregation or community; before making any decisions to act, any ministry team or leader in our Church will gather together and take into account the input of those who may be affected by any action that is being considered. All decisions will be made in alignment with this covenant of culture and the vision, values, and ministry plan statements of our Church. At all times, decisions will be made that will enable our congregation to build and sustain a greater number of loving relationships of goodwill between people as a result of the ministry of our Church.

  Believing that every soul is called by God to be a minister (I Peter 2:9-10) and that our Church exists to inspire each soul to fulfill his or her calling, ministries of our Church will be created and implemented through the gifts, interests, passions, skills, and resources of our congregation to fulfill their God given callings whether inside or outside the Church. Therefore, all paid and ordained staff members are hired to create learning opportunities that equip ministry team members to fulfill their callings to serve others.

  Believing that every soul has value to our Church (Romans 8:16-17), we assume that each person uses good intentions as regards their involvement and actions taken as part of our congregation. When things do not go as planned, we will refrain from faultfinding and blaming each other and instead seek to help each other by dialoguing to clarify the issue and implement a positive solution that is of mutual benefit to all those involved.

  Believing that we are called to seek reconciliation through forgiveness when we experience difficulty in our relationships with one another (Matt. 5:22-24) we will address conflicts as soon as possible. When conflict occurs we will take the time necessary to listen to the ideas of everyone. This will be done utilizing the guidelines outlined in our communications covenant. We will honor and respect people when they are sharing their ideas. We will view all ideas as valid information to be considered before attempting to find a solution that will work for the mutual benefit of all people involved.

  Believing that Jesus Christ called us to imitate his servant style (John 13:5-8), everyone will serve our congregation as depicted in this covenant.