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Basic
Principles for a Small Church Community Agreement or Contract between Members
1. Don't
miss, except for emergencies. A group works because members
make the group a priority. Each member must make a commitment to each other.
2. Share
yourself. Let
people know you to the extent you are willing. How you feel and how you look at life
matters.
3. Listen
closely to others. Don't give advice, counsel or therapy or
comment on what others say, but let people know you understand and are trying to
appreciate the feeling they are expressing.
4.
Never argue your point or badger another. Be yourself, be firm, but don*t try to win others over to your
viewpoint. People can be different. In fact, differences enhance a group.
5. Try
to show support to each person in the group. Help people see their strengths and confront them when they
are not using their strengths.
6.
Expressing negative feelings can be helpful. Bottled-up feelings can set up unspoken barriers. Avoid
ridicule or attack. Focus on how someone*s
behavior in the group affects you and how the situation can be improved. A one-to-one talk
can help sometimes.
7.
Don't talk about people behind their backs.
8. Nothing
said leaves the group.
9.
Take responsibility for the life of the community. Take a turn facilitating or hosting
the meeting. Do something that might help another's contribution to the group get noticed.
Call an absent member. Pray for each other.
Taken from "Creating
Small Church Communities" Third Edition by Father Arthur R. Baranowski, St.
Anthony Messenger Press, 1615 Republic Street, Cincinnati, OH ,45210 (513) 241-5615
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