Covenant Of Healthy Relations
As members of First Unitarian Universalist Church of Wichita, we value our liberal diverse community and endeavor to work together for the good of the whole. Realizing that our different experiences and ideologies may lead to misunderstanding or disagreement, we promise to strive to support each other in our personal and community growth by entering into the following covenant of healthy relations.
COVENANT OF HEALTHY RELATIONS
This covenant is a solemn agreement supporting an environment of respect, safety, transparency and honesty in communication allowing our community to relate in harmony.
RESPECT (Showing regard and appreciation for others)
I covenant to:
· Treat others with respect by listening with patience even when not in agreement.
· Refuse to denigrate others or to support the denigration of others by my silence.
· Support and encourage the personal and spiritual growth of others.
· Acknowledge that everyone makes mistakes. I will seek forgiveness and offer forgiveness.
· Keep my opinions open to change while not insisting that others change their opinions.
· Listen to others’ points of view in a non-judgmental way.
· Expect positive intent in the actions of others.
SAFETY (Courteous, sincere, and thoughtful consideration for others)
I covenant to:
· Request and give confidentiality.
· Share diverse ideas in a physically and emotionally safe manner.
· Help provide a physically and emotionally safe environment for myself and others.
· Take time to process information before responding.
TRANSPARENCY (Open and candid decision making with free access to all)
I covenant to:
· Make official decisions through the democratic process according to church by-laws.
· Maximize sharing of congregational information.
· Frame information for accuracy and understanding rather than distort it for persuasive advantage.
· Speak directly to the person or committee when issues arise or ask for mediation.
HONESTY (Honorable and fair in speech, intentions, and actions)
I covenant to:
· Interact with others in a fair manner.
· Take responsibility for my own actions and feelings by not blaming others.
· Agree to respectfully disagree when consensus cannot be reached.