Code of Ethics & Process for Upholding Ministerial Integrity
Created June 2025
Purpose
The Thread honors the interconnection of all life, nurtures deep relatedness, and engages in meaningful collaboration to bring forth individual and collective orientation to life that is grounded in Love and woven in community.
This Code of Ethics serves as a shared covenant for all students/trainees, affiliated ministers, spiritual companions, faculty, and community leaders. It reflects our collective responsibility to embody our values in service to others and to uphold the trust placed in us by those we accompany.
Core Ethical Commitments
We commit to:
1. Sacred Presence & Nonjudgment
a. Honor the dignity, worth, and spiritual autonomy of every individual.
b. Offer nonjudgmental presence, free from coercion, dogma, or proselytization.
c. Hold unconditional positive regard for all beings, while honoring our own boundaries and safety.
2. Confidentiality & Trust
a. Maintain confidentiality in all ministerial roles, including pastoral conversations, group facilitation, and spiritual direction, except where disclosure is required by law or becomes necessary to prevent harm.
b. Remain mindful that the way we listen shapes whether others feel seen and respected.
3. Boundaries & Consent
a. Establish and maintain clear and compassionate physical, emotional, and spiritual boundaries.
b. Seek explicit consent in all ministerial, pastoral, and ceremonial roles.
4. Anti-Oppression & Justice
a. Develop an ongoing awareness of one’s social location (aspects of identity).
b. Examine and dismantle systems of oppression within ourselves and our communities.
c. Actively elicit marginalized voices.
d. Cultivate inclusive spiritual spaces; acknowledge sources and use practices with permission.
e. Share power by promoting participation and collaboration from others in decision-making whenever possible.
5. Humility & Accountability
a. Acknowledge the limits of our role and expertise.
b. Honor others as equals on the path toward self-discovery and becoming.
c. Seek supervision, spiritual direction, and/or peer support when needed.
d. Acknowledge when we’ve made mistakes or caused harm and seek methods for repair or amends when doing so will not cause further harm.
e. Practice cultural humility—a lifelong discipline of self-examination, reverent listening, and accountable relationship—recognizing that we are always guests in sacred spaces and never experts in another’s lived experience.
f. Use ongoing discernment about how one’s social location, power, and/or privilege can minimize harm.
g. Be willing to change.
6. Integrity of Role
a. Engage in spiritually grounded discernment.
b. Do not exploit (take advantage of) the ministerial role for personal, political, sexual, or financial gain.
c. Do not engage in harassment or misuse of power in any relationship.
d. Do not impose our ideas about right action on others, while still upholding fundamental ethical principles and community agreements.
e. Represent our affiliation with The Thread with honesty and clarity.
7. Ongoing Formation
a. Cultivate an Interspiritual sensibility that recognizes essential interdependence and thrives in relationship.
b. Commit to regular spiritual practice, continuing education, and honest self-reflection.
c. Stay current with best practices in community care and ethical leadership.
Accountability & Upholding the Covenant
Breakdowns are inevitable in human relationships. They are disruptions in communication or connection that may cause harm, but do not necessarily involve a breach of ethical responsibility. Ethical violations, by contrast, involve a clear breach of trust, boundaries, or duty of care and require a process of accountability.
At The Thread, we distinguish between the two so that harm can be addressed appropriately. All concerns—whether relational breakdowns or ethical violations—are met with a process rooted in restoration rather than punishment. Our aim is to protect the dignity of those involved, repair trust where possible, and support ongoing growth and integrity in our shared covenant.
1. Raising Concerns
Concerns about ethical breaches may be submitted by:
· Affected individuals
· Fellow ministers or peers
· Faculty or leadership of The Thread
Submissions may be made confidentially to the Ethics Circle*, a standing committee that is prepared for and entrusted with receiving and responding to such matters.
*The Ethics Circle has yet to be formed (July 2025).
2. Initial Review
The Ethics Circle will:
· Acknowledge receipt of the concern within 7 days
· Conduct an initial review to determine if the issue warrants deeper inquiry
· Hold a confidential conversation with the individual(s) involved, when appropriate
· If the concern involves a member of the Ethics Circle or other related individual, said individual(s) will recuse themselves from reviewing the concern.
3. Inquiry & Response
If the concern is substantive, the Circle may:
· Invite the individual(s) into a facilitated conversation
· Seek written reflection or external mediation
· Propose restorative steps (e.g., mentorship, re-education, time-bound pause in public ministry)
4. Outcomes & Support
The outcome may include:
· No action (if concern is unsubstantiated)
· Informal support plan
· Formal restorative agreement
· Revocation or suspension of affiliation (in severe or repeated breaches)
All outcomes aim to balance community safety, individual growth, professional development, and ethical integrity.
5. Appeals
Individuals may request a second review of the decision by a separate panel not connected with the initial review.
Living the Covenant
Affiliated ministers reaffirm this Code of Ethics each year as part of their renewal. This is not a contract, but a sacred promise—one that we hold in mutual trust and evolving wisdom, for the good of all beings.
This Code of Ethics is a living document, subject to periodic reflection and revision by the Ethics Circle and community input.