Values

Last Updated: January 3, 2019 Contact: Geoff Davis

---

These are the values that reflect the kind of culture we are striving to cultivate at Veritas.

---

Present

Defined:

• When interacting with someone, interact only with them.
• Relationally engage in your ministry and life.
• Don’t be ruled by expediency; rather do things together.
• Don’t use people to do ministry; rather people are the ministry.

Necessary Behaviors:

• Use eye contact.
• Don’t use tech during meetings; use only the necessary tech.
• Listen well to actually hear what they are saying, not just to respond.

Honest

Defined:

• Say what you mean; mean what you say.
• Honestly say what you need to say without nuancing it too much.

Necessary Behaviors:

• Be honest.
• Define uncertain terms.
• As a listener, take responsibility to ask questions when unclear.
• Use language and terms that are consistent across the congregations.

Consistent

Defined:

• Be faithful to what you’ve committed to so others know what to expect from you.
• Relationally persevere.
• Stick to what is valued and of primary importance.

Necessary Behaviors:

• Follow through with communication and fulfill what you’ve agreed to.
• Recognize inconsistencies in yourself and in your teams to help correct them.

Humble

Defined:

• Consider other’s interests first.
• Be open to feedback and being wrong.
• Seek to understand rather than to first be understood.
• Do not seek the spotlight, power, or control.

Necessary Behaviors:

• Do what needs to be done for the good of the church as a whole (even above, beyond, or below your job descriptions).
• Do not act as though entitled.
• Be patient.

Graceful

Defined:

• Show kindness to imperfect people with the expectation that Jesus is at work.
• Do not excuse sin or failure, yet don’t be surprised when it happens.
• Walk alongside people through sin and failure.
• Be available to each other, even when not deserved.

Necessary Behaviors:

• Forgive people when they wrong you.
• Think the best of others and don’t jump to anger and frustration when things go wrong.
• Support each other to take risks, to try things, even if it fails.

Encouraging

Defined:

• Recognize the work of God in people’s lives and give them the courage to trust him.
• Intentionally build each other up in love and unity.
• Actively celebrate how people are gifted and how God is using them.

Necessary Behaviors:

• Don’t just look at negative aspects, but seek to see the good in things as well.