Jesus said,
"You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Matt. 22:39)

For those of us who are pastors, this is often a very difficult challenge. From the moment a good number of us were born people have looked at some of us with expectations different from those we have of ourselves. We've been told who we are and what we are to become, what subject should interest us and the kind of people with whom we should associate. "Don't smoke or drink of chew, or run around with those who do," was a phrase often heard in my family. The longer I live, the more I discover I'm not fitting into the square box into which others wish to place me. I've been taught by my culture to be passive and at all costs to avoid rocking the boat. But I just don't fit into those stereotypes. And I'm finding that I am not alone.

I was ordained in 1974. In the early days of my ministry it became clear to me that those of us who are clergy are in need of some kind of support system to help us work through these kind of revelations and to assist us in coming to terms with who we are in reality and learning to live with integrity. We need the kind of pastoral care and nurture we often seek to offer to those in our faith communities, yet as Jesus implied, it is difficult to care for others unless we ourselves find that we have received care.

Many of those of us who are clergy have experienced difficulties during our ministries, some times we have known low self-esteem and often lack of courage. We fear being different, because we've been led to believe that others may not like us if we present our true selves. So we spend a large part of our time and energy trying to become the image that someone else has created for us. Images of what a good pastor should be. The end result is similar to being in a well, with the lid ajar just enough to keep us alive, but one false move and the lid could slip into place and snuff out the oxygen we need to maintain our existence. We could lose our jobs and become homeless within 60-90 days.

We are surrounded by fear. We are afraid to present ourselves honestly and openly to those with whom we seek relationship. We are afraid we will lose their love and support, their admiration and respect. And so we hide, we pretend and we lock ourselves into closets of protection where few are allowed to visit. In the process we lose our identity, our integrity and our ability to be of real service to those, who like ourselves, are called out into the light to share the message of God's unconditional love for all people.

In 1997, I began to ponder this reality as I entered a Doctor of Ministry program in "Theology and Technology" at United Theological Seminary in Dayton Ohio. I never finished the program because as an Intentional Interim Pastor, I had to move sooner than anticipated when the church I was serving called the first pastor they interviewed. As a result I missed out on finishing the program because the funding for the scholarship I was on came to an end. I was not able to afford continuation on my own resources. However, I did continue the project which evolved into what you see before you, "The Covenant of Inclusion."

This Covenant was designed to give those of us who are clergy, an opportunity to work toward integrity and away from fear. In particular, it offers those of us who have not been called to serve with -- and therefore are not identified with -- publically declared Open & Affirming ministries, a way to proclaim ourselves as open and affirming clergy. This Covenant allows us to express our commitment to providing Open & Affirming pastoral care; to proclaim our calling within the wider church; to join in a supportive, nurturing community where we can learn from one another as we seek to fulfill our calling as ministers in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

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