What is a Covenant of Right Relations?
A Covenant of Right Relations (CoRR) is a congregation’s opportunity to embody its sacred relationships. While it does remind a congregation of its best inter-personal and inter-organizational practices, its trajectory is beyond both of these. Crafting, trying it out and affirming a CoRR is a unique opportunity to engage and live by intentional congregational wholeness.
It is true that all to often we come to the process of drafting a CoRR after experiencing conflict within our congregations. There is nothing wrong with this, conflict can be the doorway for congregational growth. However, this timing can cause the perception that CoRR is about what is wrong with a congregation rather than what is possible. For this reason, the process of developing a CoRR welcomes past pains, moves through them compassionately, and directs a congregation to realize its purpose well beyond them.
The CoRR process begins then with congregation members coming as they are, hurt, confused, or even in denial. They are greeted with the new concept of a CoRR as a process greater than addressing past wrongs, but as opening up their future as a whole congregation. The initial step together is not to mediate a recent conflict, but to use the shared experience as the impetuous to craft a clear way that the the congregation will live through its conflicts - both old and new.
As soon as the congregation starts to accept the potential of a CoRR, it is vital to capture the language, emotion, and spirit being expressed. Buddhism talks about shoshin, “beginners mind,” as a attitude of openness without preconceived notions that cuts to the heart of the matter. Capturing the beginner mind, heart and spirit of the congregation will ground the process and eventually the document with a clear and embodied wholeness, speaking with the voice of all, not small groups or individuals.
Reflections on the congregation’s relationships outside of its walls will also be vital to capture at this time. Connections to local organizations, local interfaith and Unitarian Universalist churches, as well as, district, region and continental UU entities are all experiences of sacred relationships which provide balance to a congregation’s internal life.
Working together the congregation will craft initial impressions and healthy relationships into an acting CoRR. Rather that seeking the prefect wording right out of the gate, it is necessary to draft a document that is lived out by the congregation for a set period of time. Over a period of months, the congregation can continue to live with the acting CoRR, not by working on it as editors, but by exploring it in worship, committee meetings, and congregational life. Posters, websites and newsletter articles can keep the process alive, while the congregation seeks to connect itself to living out the meaning of the CoRR.
At a date and time scheduled before the start of the process the congregation is invited to affirm it. Affirmation does not mean the congregation votes up or down on the passing of the CoRR, rather it is an invitation for individuals to witness to their experience of living by the CoRR. Changes may need to be made to the CoRR to capture the congregation’s experience, but these changes will be focused to capture the experience of wholeness over the development of a perfect document.
While the overt process comes to an end with affirmation, the work of the congregation continues. Reflecting on the CoRR regularly as committees and annually as a congregation are ways to keep a CoRR alive. Even more than this, the trajectory of the CoRR to live as a whole community will transform the congregation to be together in new ways and act as a congregation for transformation of our world. In short, the congregation will discover how to live out its sacred relationships in new and unexpected ways.
Rev. Matthew Funke Crary
It is true that all to often we come to the process of drafting a CoRR after experiencing conflict within our congregations. There is nothing wrong with this, conflict can be the doorway for congregational growth. However, this timing can cause the perception that CoRR is about what is wrong with a congregation rather than what is possible. For this reason, the process of developing a CoRR welcomes past pains, moves through them compassionately, and directs a congregation to realize its purpose well beyond them.
The CoRR process begins then with congregation members coming as they are, hurt, confused, or even in denial. They are greeted with the new concept of a CoRR as a process greater than addressing past wrongs, but as opening up their future as a whole congregation. The initial step together is not to mediate a recent conflict, but to use the shared experience as the impetuous to craft a clear way that the the congregation will live through its conflicts - both old and new.
As soon as the congregation starts to accept the potential of a CoRR, it is vital to capture the language, emotion, and spirit being expressed. Buddhism talks about shoshin, “beginners mind,” as a attitude of openness without preconceived notions that cuts to the heart of the matter. Capturing the beginner mind, heart and spirit of the congregation will ground the process and eventually the document with a clear and embodied wholeness, speaking with the voice of all, not small groups or individuals.
Reflections on the congregation’s relationships outside of its walls will also be vital to capture at this time. Connections to local organizations, local interfaith and Unitarian Universalist churches, as well as, district, region and continental UU entities are all experiences of sacred relationships which provide balance to a congregation’s internal life.
Working together the congregation will craft initial impressions and healthy relationships into an acting CoRR. Rather that seeking the prefect wording right out of the gate, it is necessary to draft a document that is lived out by the congregation for a set period of time. Over a period of months, the congregation can continue to live with the acting CoRR, not by working on it as editors, but by exploring it in worship, committee meetings, and congregational life. Posters, websites and newsletter articles can keep the process alive, while the congregation seeks to connect itself to living out the meaning of the CoRR.
At a date and time scheduled before the start of the process the congregation is invited to affirm it. Affirmation does not mean the congregation votes up or down on the passing of the CoRR, rather it is an invitation for individuals to witness to their experience of living by the CoRR. Changes may need to be made to the CoRR to capture the congregation’s experience, but these changes will be focused to capture the experience of wholeness over the development of a perfect document.
While the overt process comes to an end with affirmation, the work of the congregation continues. Reflecting on the CoRR regularly as committees and annually as a congregation are ways to keep a CoRR alive. Even more than this, the trajectory of the CoRR to live as a whole community will transform the congregation to be together in new ways and act as a congregation for transformation of our world. In short, the congregation will discover how to live out its sacred relationships in new and unexpected ways.
Rev. Matthew Funke Crary