Ministerial Covenant
A Professional Covenant
Held among Charles Blustein Ortman,
Judith Ann Tomlinson, And Wendy Pantoja
Autumn, 2006
Because we recognize that life contains pain and suffering; because we recognize the potential for that suffering to be transcended by the human spirit; and because we recognize the religious community as the place where this work of transformation can best be undertaken:
We, Judy, Wendy and Charlie, the professional and intern ministerial leadership of the Unitarian Church of Montclair, covenant to work together to build and maintain a community of caring and spiritual self-awareness that encourages us to seek our highest selves and to promote a world of love and compassion. We are called to this covenant by a voice that speaks internally and externally expressing Life’s wanting to be. This voice is one that we may call God or the Source of All That Is, and it calls us to risk and to respond in faith. We covenant to work together to fulfill our callings to ministry in the congregation, in the community, in larger circles of Unitarian Universalism, and in the world. We covenant to promote and support a religious community that honors, loves and upholds its members through all stages of life, and upholds a vision of a world transformed by justice.
Believing that our professional relationships promote a culture for all congregational relationships, we covenant to bring honesty, integrity, skill, a collegial spirit and a willingness to work hard with a sense of purpose, humor and vision. We will meet weekly (usually on Tuesdays). During those meetings we will set aside time to see how our relationships are doing, to deal with disagreements – openly and respectfully, to celebrate success enthusiastically. We will avoid destructive triangulated relationships by dealing directly with persons or groups, and by redirecting those who might attempt to put us in the middle. We will handle confidentiality on a need-to-know basis or for peer support and direction. We will respect one another’s work and personal boundaries, we will not intentionally surprise each other in front of a larger group. We will give honest feedback and remain open to new ideas. We will support one another in times of stress and encourage one another in self-care.
We are thankful for the opportunity to do these things in a spirit of joy and camaraderie in the service of our congregation.
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