Covenant statement

We covenant together to:


welcome, in the name of Christ, all whom God calls into community and leadership in God's church;


reach out in solidarity and compassion to all who are wounded or excluded by recent legislative actions of our church;


continue to be faithful to the Presbyterian Church (USA), supporting its mission in Christ's name to God's world;


reaffirm our denomination's historic understanding that "God alone is Lord of the conscience" (G-1.0301) both for ourselves and for those with whom we disagree;


trust sessions and presbyteries to ordain those called by God, through the voice of the church, who are "persons of strong faith, dedicated discipleship, and love of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord" and whose "manner of life demonstrates the Christian gospel in the church and the world" (G-6.0106a);


seek pastoral and theological solutions to division in the church;


maintain dialogue, study, and prayer in the spirit of Christ with those with whom we differ, seeking to understand the deeper roots of our disagreements;


seek God's will for the Church through the presence of Christ, the study of scripture, the guidance of our historic confessions, and the dynamic work of the Holy Spirit;


encourage officers and governing bodies of the church to join us in this covenant.


As we covenant together in Christ, we commit ourselves to encourage one another through prayer, counsel, and mutual support, through times of challenge, controversy, and hope.