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On Covenant and Accountability REV. DR. MICHAEL TINO Lead Ministry Team, Church of the Larger Fellowship Recently, I’ve heard more and more people wondering what is the place of covenant and accountability in Unitarian Universalism. In some circles, they have become almost dirty words–signs that we are somehow abandoning the individualist faith that so many people mistakenly think we are. And yet, both of these concepts are central to our faith. Covenant consists of the sacred promises we make to one another. It is not a fixed set of beliefs, but rather a living understanding of how we are in community together. Covenants define the practices of Unitarian Universalism as well as what we are striving to create together. As a faith movement, our congregations are bound to each other in covenant. That covenant is expressed in Article 2 of the Unitarian Universalist Association by-laws. It lives there because covenants and by-laws, unlike creeds, are meant to be changeable. As our understanding of our faith deepens, as our understanding of our world develops, and as the circle of our faith widens to welcome in those who have too long been marginalized, we must adapt the promises that hold us together. And so it is that our covenant has been updated recently. Rather than
simply asking our congregations to “affirm and promote” principles (a phrase that I came to see as the faith analog of the meaningless phrase “thoughts and prayers”), our new covenant asks us to engage in specific actions to live our faith in the world. It asks us to understand power, how it is abused to lead to oppression and exploitation, and to actively work to dismantle those things in our world. It asks us to commit to changing, growing, and repairing damaged relationships. It asks us to create fully accessible and inclusive communities, and to embrace our differences as we learn from one another. These are good promises, solid promises that, if we keep them, will help us center our faith in love and live from the values we claim: justice, equity, transformation, pluralism, interdependence, and generosity. But what if we don’t keep our promises? That’s where accountability comes in. In 1646, the congregations in the New England colonies brought delegates together to discuss how they would be governed. The 1648 Cambridge Platform has served since then as the basis for what we call “congregational polity,” the way in which Unitarian Universalist congregations still come together. Even in
Vol. LXXVIII, No 8
2024
“We are collectively responsible for the covenant of our faith.” rev . dr . michael tino
in this issue ON COVENANT AND ACCOUNTABILITY Rev. Dr. Michael Tino COVENANT Multiple authors WHEN COVENANT BREAKS Frances Koziar INTRODUCING OUR NEW LEARNING FELLOWS Donte Hilliard & Katherine Hofmann
On Covenant, continued on page 5
connect. deepen. act.