About Us

“Creating a beloved community requires intention and practice. Our covenants articulate our intention, but how do we live into the practice? Right Relations Teams are lay leaders entrusted to help the congregation practice faithful communication and creative conflict based on values of mutuality and consent.” (https://www.uua.org/leaderlab/rr-teams)

The Universalist Unitarian Community of Charlotte adopted our Covenant of Right Relations in 2021. With the support of our board, a right relations team was created. Each team member completed the Right Relationship Team Training through the Universalist Unitarian Association as part of becoming a member (UUA Right Relationship Team Training).

Purpose

Our mission is to nurture a loving community and cultivate courageous connections. How do we do this when conflict arises in our relationships?

The answer is connecting more deeply, listening non-defensively, and being more loving. We aspire to be a congregation accepting of those different from us, extending grace to one another, and giving others the benefit of the doubt. We want to learn new skills and create processes that allow conflicts to transform us rather than distance and debilitate us. We do this by living into our UUCC Covenant of Right Relations.

What We Do

First, members of the RRT will provide the congregation with communications and conflict transformation educational programs. We will also provide ongoing education on the UUCC Right Relations covenant and how members of our community can live those values with one another. These education and training opportunities will be announced as they are scheduled.

Second, we provide resources and support for the community members experiencing a conflict with one another. Rather than ignore or avoid conflict, when conflict arises, it may be an opportunity to grow in one’s understanding of self in the community. In this way, conflict can be transformative. Conflict transformation begins with listening and understanding the contexts and perspectives of the involved parties. Instead of minimizing or dampening differences, conflict transformation aims to clarify differences in perspectives. Transformation can occur only by genuinely hearing and understanding the other person.

If you are experiencing a conflict with another congregant, you are encouraged to communicate directly and resolve the dispute. If you need help with how to do that or have reservations or questions about it, we are here to support your growth and provide resources that will help you prepare for a courageous conversation. The resources Self Reflection, Pathway to Conflict Resolution and RRT Support Document 2: Approaching a Mutually Respectful Conversation are beneficial. 

The Right Relation Team can support you by providing a facilitator for your courageous conversation. RRT focuses on the parties’ willingness to solve the problem rather than determining if someone is guilty or at fault. If this meets your needs, please complete the Request Form for RRT support.

What a Right Relationship Team Cannot Offer

• An RRT cannot offer mediation between family members on marital issues or with relationships outside of the UUCC community.
• A RRT cannot offer facilitated conversations to address conflict with people not bound by the congregation’s covenant because the covenant is at the center of everything the RRT does.
• When a conflict involves staff, the staff supervisor must take the lead. Staff are employees bound by contract, not by the congregation’s covenant. If they are both employees and members, they are employees first.
• When a conflict involves the minister, contact your UUA primary contact.
• When a conflict involves a safety risk to self or others, please contact the minister, board, or law enforcement.

Useful Links

• UUCC Covenant of Right Relations
• Request for RRT Support Form
• Additional Readings and Resources