Produced by Noroton Presbyterian Church, New York

NPC Leadership Covenant and Values:

Scripture teaches that God is a covenanting God. Scripture is full of covenants between God and God's people, and between people seeking to give witness to the Light of the World. Our Leadership Covenant contains not only the manner in which we seek to relate to one another at NPC but also our values in relationships:

Staff Team Covenant (Agreed to by the NPC leadership team, Fall 1998.)
Serving NPC into the 21st century, and seeking to be a brilliant beacon of Christ's light in the world, we, the staff of Noroton Presbyterian turn to the power and mystery of the Trinity as our covenantal anchor! We boldly, joyfully affirm God in three Persons, the holy embodiment of encircling love: intimate, equal, interconnected! As a trusting and collaborative team we are seeking to discover, experience, and pass on the revealed, felt presence of God - Father, Son, Holy Spirit; Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer! From within this circle of Love, then, we come to discern and fulfill, by grace, God's purposes, God's visions, and mission for our lives, for Noroton, and for the "body of Christ" universal. In our covenantal model, we try to imitate the Godhead, three in one, who creates and blesses (Father), who redeems and restores (Son), who encircles and empowers (Holy Spirit), who unites and loves!

Ephesians 4:1-3
I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Ephesians 4:15,16
Speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way all things into Him who is the head - into Christ -- from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body's growth in building itself up in love.

Ephesians 5:1,2
Therefore, be imitators of God as beloved children and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

We, the staff of NPC, desiring to be faithful to Christ in our relationship with each other, and to model the love and unity as demonstrated by the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, do covenant to the following:

• Seek to appreciate and live out our God given individual blessings with a sense of awe.
• Intentionally encourage and bless one another.
• Draw out each others gifts while making the weaknesses irrelevant.
• Put an emphasis on self-grace and grace with one another rather than perfection.
• Speak well of fellow staff to others.
• Forgive ourselves and one-another.
• Work through problems rather than bury issues.
• Disagree openly, avoiding triangulation and speaking unkindly of others.
• View all ministries as an inter-linking circle; no beginning, no ending, no one more important than the other.
• Like the potter and the clay, be willing to be molded and changed.
• Communicate; both to each other and to the congregation.
• Make time for fellowship, worship and prayer together.
• Respect, honor and trust each other.