Calvary’s members have agreed to abide by the covenant below. It expresses our commitment to one another and to God.
Having accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior, and His word as the rule of our life, we solemnly covenant together that aided by the Spirit of God, we will walk together in love; will watch over and care for one another; will share each other’s joys and bear each other’s burdens; will be always slow to take offense and quick to make reconciliation;
That we will faithfully engage in the work and worship of the church, and in the study of the Bible and in prayer; that we will contribute regularly, according to ability, to the ministries of the church, and to extend the gospel of the kingdom to the whole human family; that we will seek constantly to lead our friends and acquaintances to the knowledge and acceptance of Christ;
That we will cooperate with other churches and agencies against all form of evil, endeavoring to bring about the union of all who love in the service of all who suffer;
That upon moving from this locality, we will, as soon as possible, unite with some other church in which we may carry out the spirit of this covenant;
That, through all of our days, come what may of good or ill, we will strive to live to the honor of Jesus Christ and the glory of God the Father.
Amen
CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH BEHAVIORAL COVENANT
Summary of the Healing Retreat Meetings:
The Healing Retreat for Calvary unfolded over a series of 3 meetings that occurred after service on the Sundays of 2/26/23, 4/23/23, and 5/21/23. A disruption that occurred on 3/12/23, that resulted in needing to shift the meeting that was to occur on that day to the second date indicated in the list of three, which required Rev. Dr. Dyer to come a total of 4 times.
• The first meeting gave the church members the opportunity to process events that had left many feeling hurt as a result of the actions of several members and the former pastor. The sequence of events that led to the departure of the former pastor were processed and any ‘unfinished’ business was identified.
• The second meeting enabled the church members to enter into a season of prayer for the issues they identified as needing to be covered in prayer and to request God’s guidance for the healing needed and next steps for the church. The list that was created on several poster papers, was posted on the walls of the meeting room below the sanctuary for any member to review as desired to know how to pray for the church.
• The third meeting was used to help the church members identify areas for which they believed behavioral covenants were needed, and also to identify the desired behaviors to which the members could hold each other accountable.
o It was determined that the church by-laws identified steps for accountability for any breach of community covenant, and also sanctions for anyone who incurred consequences for inhospitable and unchristian behavior. As a result all agreed that the by-laws would be used for addressing any breach of conduct.
o All present also recognized that the behavioral expectations generated were actually reminders of Biblical expectations for interacting with each other.
o The lists are noted below, and will be shared at the church annual meeting on June 11, 2023. The members will decide how they would like to keep the church members reminded regularly of the covenant behaviors, and will also decide the best process to keep the behavioral covenant lists updated. The SLT will also make the by-laws more readily available to all church members so everyone will know the procedures for accountability for any breaches of conduct.
List 1 — Respect for Authority — all behaviors listed are expected to be done by the member interacting with the person/s in authority as well as the reverse.
• Put God First
• Listen to each other
• Communicating clearly
• Give and receive respect and consideration
• Take responsibility for knowing the church by-laws
• Offer opinions with charity and humility
• Keep all behaviors Biblically based
List 2 — Christian Conduct
• Put God first
• Apologize if you know you disrespected someone
• Review your own behavior and act responsibly
• Seek to build each other up and not tear each other down
• Love each other
• Stop, pray, and think before confronting anyone
• Don’t be quick to judge
• Don’t assume you are the correct person in an interaction
• Don’t spread gossip
List 3 — Communications
• Put God first
• Seek to communicate clearly, completely, and directly by going to the person with whom you have a concern
• Pray and listen before speaking on a matter
List 4 — Church Attendance and Participation
• Put God first
• Reach out to members who are absent from church (sick, upset, or absent for other reasons)
• Trust that people will attend when they can
• Pray for more people to attend
• All should read and know the by-laws for expectations for serving in church
• New members should attend an orientation where they can learn the by-laws and how the church functions, and also be able to ask questions
Initial Planning and Activity Debriefings:
• Two initial meetings occurred with the SLT, Rev. and Dr. Dyer to discuss the issues, and for Rev. Dr. Dyer to present her plan for the process: 1/26/23 & 2/1/23.
• One meeting occurred with the SLT, Rev. Dr. Courtny Olds from ABCORI and Rev. Dr. Dyer to discuss the March meeting disruption: 3/13/23
• One debriefing meeting occurred with the SLT, Rev. Dr. Courtny Olds, and Rev. Dr. Dyer wherein the SLT members gave feedback about the process. The feedback was all positive, with one attendee stating that some who had initially thought the retreat process was not needed had eventually seen the benefit of the process and changed their minds.
Member Signature _______________________________________________
