Holy Manners Covenant Adopted by Peace Lutheran Church

The congregation of PEACE Lutheran Church unanimously voted to adopt a Holy Manners Covenant on Feb. 3, 2019, at our Annual Congregational Meeting.  You can read the Covenant and the Bible verses referenced in the Covenant.

This behavioral Covenant was a labor of love by many members of the congregation who attended workshops and forums and participated in drafting the Covenant.  The purpose of the Covenant is to provide a guide on how our members will treat one another in the spirit of Christian love.  

Now that we have adopted the Covenant, how do we make it work?  Here are just a few ideas.   

  • Church leaders should abide by the Covenant and regularly remind members of the content of the Holy Manners Covenant and encourage them to abide by it.
  • Include the Covenant in the induction process for committee members.
  • Membership classes and regular liturgical affirmation of the Covenant are important ways to embed these values in the congregation.
  • Use the Covenant as a personal reminder when considering your own behavior or the behavior of others who may need a quiet reminder of the Covenant.

Making it Work

If we make it work, here are a few of the benefits of our Holy Manners Covenant:

  • Forms a community that is respectful and loving
  • Gives support to bearing one another’s burdens (Galatian 6:2)
  • Clarifies what you can expect from the group and what they can expect from you
  • Helps people discern and discuss difficult issues in a civil manner without a win/loose mentality
  • Keeps the well-being of the congregation primary (not a segment or small part of the congregation)
  • Makes each person responsible for the behavior of the group
  • Models how a Christian community should act

Thanks to all of the members who attended the workshops and forums that led to this spirit-led agreement.  Your contributions and support were very much appreciated by our team. With the congregation’s approval and adoption of the Covenant, the Moving Forward, Starting Anew Team has competed its work and will be dissolved.

– From PEACE’s Moving Forward, Starting Anew! Team