Part 4: Pastor's Code of Ethics and Covenant

For my blog the last three weeks I have been examining the Pastor’s code of ethics and covenant. Every profession has some ethical standards, but those of a pastor are necessarily different. We have examined the preamble and the first four covenants. You can see them by clicking one of the links listed on the right side of this page. This week let’s think about the fifth covenant.

• I will maintain a disciplined ministry in such ways as keeping hours of prayer and devotion, endeavoring to maintain wholesome family relationships, sexual integrity, financial responsibility, regularly engaging in educational and recreational activities for professional and personal development. I will seek to maintain good health habits.

I am glad I have a board of deacons who help make me a better pastor and person. Probably the area of this covenant that I would most quickly neglect is engaging in educational activities and professional and personal development. They have been asking me for six months what professional development opportunities I plan to engage in this year. I have not found a professional development time that seems to work for me. It is probably just my reticence to take time and the busyness of life that stops me from stepping away for some professional development. Those are not good reasons. After I write this blog, I’m going to get online and look for some ideas.

I think the thing I like the most about this covenant is that some things we would normally assume are taken care of by a pastor are explicit and in writing. It takes the assumption out and adds another level of accountability for me. It also puts in public what I expect of myself and what my congregation expect of me. It might also put some things out there that maybe some people would not find as important for a pastor. Regular engagement in recreational activities and maintaining good health habits are very important for a pastor and for every person. I’m not sure every pastor or people in the congregation think about these as being something pastors need to be doing. So it is nice to have these things in writing. I’m certainly not perfect at any of these things, but the covenant itself is a great reminder of the things I need to keep in perspective as a pastor.