A Covenant for Respectful Conversation

At the beginning of the 188^th Annual Convention of this Diocese, copies of "A Covenant for Respectful Conversation" were distributed to all delegates and made available to visitors and others. By all accounts, this covenant was honored and kept.

LISTEN

I will listen to you and hear you out. I may not agree with you, and I can't promise that I will always understand you, but I will truly try to listen. In return, I trust you to listen to me - patiently and respectfully - even if you think I am misguided.

PRAY

I will pray for you and ask God's best for you. In return, I ask for your prayers, knowing that we need each other's help to discern God's Spirit and God's voice in the midst of the possibility of very different perspectives.

LOVE

I will remind myself that God created you, as well as me, out of love, and that our Lord loves and redeems us equally. I will try to see that loveable person in you, and I hope that you will try to find the same in me.

DISCERN

Above all, I will try to remember why we are here: that we are Christians seeking to live out our discipleship faithfully with the best insights of our hearts and minds as we ponder scripture, tradition, and reason. My discipleship is in the context of the Body of Christ, and I seek always to be open to the "grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit."