Covenants
accepted by Church Council on Feb 28, 2010
Raising the Bar per Our Agreed upon Goals
for 2010 (Charge Conference Report p. 33)
All members (current and future)
are expected to complete Membership 101 taught by the pastor.
All church leaders are expected
to:
Complete Membership 101
(leadership example to other members).
Pledging and Tithing
(10% of income) to the church budget. If not yet giving 10% then working towards
increasing their giving until the full tithe is achieved.
Participation in a
small group study outside of Sunday morning.
Regularly attend
Sunday worship services when in town.
Adopt a covenant for our community life together. The following
covenant would be adopted each year by our Church Council as the mutual expectations for
our congregational life and work among our leaders.
We seek to follow God's will in our lives and provide a
safe environment where differing viewpoints are welcomed, sought, heard, and respected.
Therefore, we individually and as a Church Council covenant to:
Be open to discerning
God's will through attention to Scripture, the voice of the Holy Spirit, and the opinions
of others.
Be positive and
constructive, focusing on important goals, issues and problems, not on personalities.
Be respectful,
receptive, patient, and understanding listeners, creating opportunities for everyone to
express needs, viewpoints, opinions, and passions.
Be honest and
responsible in expressing oneself directly and with sensitivity.
Presume that each
person at Council is well intentioned in his/her opinions and decisions.
Be tolerant and seek
to understand our differences and, if necessary, be able to agree to disagree.
Be ready to forgive,
as well as accept God's forgiveness and the forgiveness of others.
To improve our communication:
Council will support the
robust discussion of diverse points of view and support a final shared decision.
We will
conscientiously communicate, factually, timely and positively, between board and committee
leaders, the pastor and staff, and the Trinity community.
We will communicate
to the congregation this new covenant we are making.
To resolve conflicts:
When conflict arises, we
will acknowledge that it exists; we will approach it fearlessly; we will address it
respectfully and in a timely manner; and we will seek a collaborative resolution.
We will always go
directly, face to face, to the source of the conflict.
We will resolve no
conflicts through letters, email, or third parties. We will use Matthew 18:15-17 as our
model, and begin the process with group prayer.
To follow through:
We will hold each other
accountable with respect and honesty, speaking the truth in love.
We review how well
the covenants have been honored at the end of each meeting.
Urban Academy Recommendation:
The church engage in
research about the Las Vegas Valley Interfaith Sponsoring Committee (LVVISC) the meaning
for the local church.
Designate a task
force to do the research and represent Trinity UMC at LVVISC gatherings.
