"Let us make it our aim to work for peace and to strengthen one another" (Romans 14:17)
We Agree:
On Identity
That we are children of God, empowered by God to be brothers and sisters in Christ and to be interdependent in the great mission of spreading the Kingdom of God. On Being God-Centered That being obedient to God's Word and that seeking His will in the present circumstances of our life is the top priority of our life together; that we need to strive to be ever more surrendered to God.
On Authority
That it is a beneficial and positive thing to be under God-given
authority; that authority needs to be freely given by
the one under authority to the one in authority if the authority
is to have a positive effect; that God's plan of authority of
Creator over creatures, parents over children, husband
over wife, civic leader and law over citizen, and religious
leader over disciple, is acknowledged along with the right
to appeal to a higher authority in the event of abuse of authority
on a lower level; that those in authority are to provide
the service of good order, protection, sound teaching,
and good example for those under authority; that those under
authority are to provide the service of willing cooperation
and respectful obedience for the sake of the common
good.
On Maintaining good Relationships
when trouble occurs for good relationships to thrive; and
that maintaining a good relationship is a higher priority than
whatever job one is working on; that we will avoid using negative
humor and not speak in a way that hurts the dignity or
reputation of another, or, in any way breeds distrust; that we
will strive to make clear-cut mutual agreements with one another
in order to solve problems and prevent potential problems. That it takes sufficient time, regular persistent effort and
open, honest, trusting communication if unity in Christ is to
grow; that it takes patience, a willingness to forgive unconditionally,
and a desire to be reconciled as soon as possible.
On Resolving Conflicts
That when feelings of anger, misunderstanding, frustration or resentment occur, each of us will take the initiative to be reconciled as soon as possible; that the question will never be whether to be reconciled, but how; that when I feel hurt by you, I will first try to resolve the issue between you and me alone. If the hurt is still there, we will seek the assistance of someone we both trust and respect. We agree that it would be counterproductive to share the hurt with anyone whom we do not believe is directly part of the reconciliation process; that no matter what happens, we will make a decision to love one another enough to resolve our problem and to trust God to give us the power and the will to succeed.
On Repairing Wrong-Doing
That when apologizing to the one hurt, we will:
- Identify clearly what was wrong
- Express sorrow for the harm done
- Express intent to never do it again
- Ask for forgiveness
- Do penance, that is, make restitution or reparation