Holy behavior starts at home!
Holy Manners are a way of life for us at PEACE Lutheran Church! But it’s not easy, so we rely on God’s Holy Spirit to remind us and guide us in the way we treat each other every day.
PEACE Lutheran Church adopted this behavioral covenant, below, at our Annual Congregational Meeting on Feb. 3, 2019. The discord that plagues our beloved nation also affects God’s people. And so, we pray that God would help us live up to this covenant each day!
HOLY MANNERS COVENANT for PEACE LUTHERAN CHURCH – Feb. 3, 2019
Preamble
We are mindful of Jesus’ love for us and his command to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. In response, we will pray regularly, study the Bible, and graciously communicate our thoughts, attitudes, and actions. We will lovingly follow these covenant guidelines in our relationships with each other at church, in our community, and in the world to the Glory of God.
We prayerfully covenant with one another to:
Love one another
- Love one another and treat others as we want others to treat us. John 13:34 and Matthew 7:12
- Show respect for each other through our words and actions. Romans 12:10
Value others and their opinions
- Encourage all voices to speak, and recognize that we each bring our own history and experience to any situation. James 1:19
- Listen and ask questions without judgment and value diverse opinions and ideas. 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 and 1 Corinthians 12:12
- Seek first to understand, then to be understood–keeping in mind that the Holy Spirit works through all of us. Proverbs 4:7, Acts 2:38, and 1 Corinthians 12:7
Support relationships in difficult times
- Address differences in a respectful, direct, and caring manner. Ephesians 4:2-3
- Work towards self-control, practicing the fruits of the spirit. James 1:18-20 and Galatians 5:22-23
- Agree to disagree without being disagreeable, keeping our minds on what is true, right, holy, friendly, and proper. Isaiah 41:10, Romans 8:28, and Philippians 4:8
Work together for the good of the Church
- Work to discover what is best for our congregation as a whole, rather than what may be best for ourselves or for a select group in the church. Philippians 2:3-6
- Believe the best of others and give others the benefit of the doubt. 1 Corinthians 13:7
We ask God to help and guide us.
Holy Manners Covenant – Bible References
Love one another
John 13:34 – I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.
Matthew 7:12 – In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.
Romans 12:10 – Love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor.
Value others and their opinions
James 1:19 – You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger.
1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 – But we appeal to you, brothers and sisters, to respect those who labor among you, and have charge of you in the Lord and admonish you; esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.
1 Corinthians 12:12 – For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.
Proverbs 4:7 – The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever else you get, get insight.
Acts 2:38 – Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 12:7 – To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
Support relationships in difficult times
Ephesians 4:2-3 – With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
James 1:18-20 – In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures. You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness.
Galatians 5:22-23 – By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.
Isaiah 41:10 – Do not fear, for I am with you, do not be afraid, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.
Romans 8:28 – We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.
Philippians 4:8 – Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
Work together for the good of the Church
Philippians 2:3-6 – Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited.
1 Corinthians 13:7 – It (love) bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.