A Volley from the Canon, Number 108 A Sample Vestry Covenant

A VOLLEY FROM THE CANON, NUMBER 107

A SAMPLE VESTRY COVENANT

What follows is an example: each Vestry is encouraged to discuss it and edit it according to their particular circumstances and commitments.

Service on the Vestry of St. Winifred’s Church is an honor, a ministry, and a sign of the congregation’s trust and respect. As members of St. Winifred’s Vestry, we solemnly covenant with one another to exercise this ministry with diligence, mutual respect, and reverence for the mission of God’s Holy Church.

1. Attendance:
• I pledge to attend a minimum of ___% of vestry meetings.
• I pledge to be present from beginning to end, with more than thirty minutes’ absence constituting a missed meeting.
• I pledge to inform the rector/missioner/senior warden (whoever is presiding) as early as possible prior to any meeting that I must miss due to a major impediment such as illness, a work conflict, or a family emergency.
• I understand and support the Vestry’s need to replace me, in accordance with Parish/ Mission By-laws, if I fail to honor these pledges.

2. Leadership:
As a leader of St. Winifred’s I pledge to participate actively in the life of the congregation and in the work of this Vestry.
• I will be faithful and regular in attendance at worship and at parish functions.
• I will take up a fair and equitable portion of the leadership and work of the congregation’s committees, commissions, and task forces.
• I will make and honor a financial pledge to the support of St. Winifred’s. I acknowledge the Tithe as the minimum standard for Christian giving to God’s work, and I pledge to apply myself sincerely toward reaching or exceeding that standard.
• I will be dependable and attentive to the progress of the congregation in all activities.

3. Conduct at Meetings:
• I will speak my mind with both clarity and charity. I understand that I have an obligation as a church leader to express, in our meetings, my honest and sincere convictions on matters that come before the Vestry, and to do so with Christian love for those who hold another view.
• I will maintain civility and decorum in my speech at all times. Specifically, I will wait our turn to speak; I will be brief and to the point; I will address other members in a respectful and courteous manner; I will take care not to speak disparagingly to or of anyone because of their gender, age, perceived ability or intellect, beliefs, sexual orientation., or any characteristic that is part of the nature of the person.

4. Conduct outside of Meetings:
As a leader of St. Winifred’s, I will always strive to be supportive of our church, its Vestry, and its leadership. While maintaining the integrity of my own convictions, I will refrain from sweeping negative criticism of The Episcopal Church and its leaders, our Bishop and Diocese, our congregation, its clergy and lay leaders.

5. Accountability:
All Vestry members are accountable to one another for the keeping of this covenant agreement.
• We agree to examine, periodically, our common life and our adherence to these standards, and we pledge to amend our lives as needed to live into them.
• We agree to call one another to fuller observance of this covenant by gentle, loving, and supportive reminders when we stray from its standards of behavior.