Many congregations have mission and vision statements that lift up values named in our principles, such as dignity, compassion, justice, equity, and interdependence. Congregations have the opportunity and the obligation to live their mission not only out in the world, but within their walls.

One way a congregation expresses its values internally is through its treatment of staff. Congregations can support their employees in many ways, such as:

• Offering new staff a warm welcome
• Providing compensation (including salary, benefit plans as eligible, time off) that is fair, as well as equitable across the staff team
• Properly managing onboarding (legal paperwork and benefits enrollment)
• Making expectations clear and reasonable
• Nurturing healthy supervisory relationships and staff teams
• Supporting goal-setting and performance feedback processes
• Expressing gratitude