United Church of Christ
Parker Hilltop
Behavioral Covenant
This covenant guides the ways participants in this community gather, communicate, serve, and worship. It
operates within and in accordance with our Constitution and Bylaws, which are essential and living documents
that we commit to uphold. We acknowledge that we will each fall short of these commitments and values at
times and commit to graciously invite one another back into these promises, trusting that this covenant will help
us grow in love for Christ, ourselves, and our neighbors.
We agree to the following commitments and values to shape our shared life together:
a community rooted in love
a community rooted in love
Mutual Care & Shared Commitment
● We help create a community where each person feels known and supported.
● We offer our presence, voices, and gifts to our shared community, sharing in the work necessary for the
functioning of our church including ministry, activities, and maintenance.
● We notice and reach out when someone is absent, ill, or in need of support.
● We welcome people of every ability, economic background, sexual identity, gender, race, and political perspective as God’s beloved.
● We reject bigotry, racism, and bullying.
● We honor differences as expressions of God’s diverse Creation.
● We create space for all voices, including newer, quieter, marginalized, or different voices from our own.
Inclusivity & Belonging
Effective Communication & Active Listening
● We communicate with clarity, kindness, and care for others.
● We speak directly with the person involved when a concern or conflict arises.
● We communicate openly about matters of our shared life while honoring appropriate boundaries.
● We raise questions and thoughts within appropriate groups rather than through side conversations.
● We listen with curiosity, openness, and patience.
● We listen without interrupting.
● We listen to understand rather than to defend.
● We make space for perspectives beyond our own.
● We assume positive intent, believing the best of each other and giving one another the benefit of the doubt.
Handling Conflict
● When conflict arises, we stay in loving relationships with one another, trusting that disagreement is part of community life.
● We take a deep breath and think before responding.
● We speak with truth and love.
● We seek help from a neutral third party when we cannot resolve a conflict on our own.
● We offer forgiveness and seek repair when harm occurs, trusting in God’s reconciling love.
Resources on UCC Covenantal Theology
Digital Resources
Recommended Reading
THE WHOLE CHURCH
by Ken Reeves; published by Rowman & Littlefield, 2019
FAMILY SYSTEMS & CONGREGATIONAL LIFE
by R. Robert Creech, published by Baker Academic, 2019
HOW YOUR 21ST CENTURY CHURCH FAMILY WORKS 2021
by Peter Steinke. Published by Rowman and Littlefield.
FAMILY SYSTEMS IN MINISTRY
Published by Growing Hope at Peace, by David L. Goodine, Carol, and P. Jeunnette, released on 4/21/26