Healthy Congregation Covenant

In the fall of 2022, Interim Senior Minister Rev. Kathleen Rolenz realized that members of Unity Church were interested in creating a Healthy Congregation Covenant. A Healthy Congregation Covenant is an aspirational statement of how members will be in “healthy relationship” with one another.  

Unity Church has many covenants, but not one that can help guide members when they are in conflict with one another. This process is the beginning of a conversation about the values that Unity Church members share that would comprise a draft covenant for Unity Church-Unitarian.

If you don't have time to read all the resources on this webpage --
​please do just one thing and answer this question by January 31!

Here are examples from our friends at First Universalist who have been on a similar journey to create a healthy congregation covenant.
​
Start with a verb ending in "ing": 

• Asking questions 
• Allowing people to move and stretch in worship  
• Listening with curiosity
• Forgiving mistakes  
• Singing together
• Greeting someone you don’t know  
• Offering all gender restrooms  

If you’d like more information about Healthy Congregation Covenants (also known as Behavioral Covenants, Right Relations Covenant, etc.), you can check out the following links.

​From the UUA and Mid America District Resources: 

• Right Relationship Teams
• Sample Covenant of Right Relations

Covenants from congregations of similar size as Unity Church:

• All Souls Washington, DC 
• UU Congregation of Fairfax
• White Bear Unitarian Universalist Church

Read the article about this process, by Rev. Kathleen Rolenz, published on page two of the January commUNITY newsletter.

Read this think piece from Rev. Kathleen Rolenz on creating a draft of a Healthy Congregation Covenant.