Minister’s Code of Ethics

We believe that God has called us and it is our calling, and our function, to lead and facilitate the church in its mission, to obey and serve Christ and to witness to the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are committed to fulfilling the trust placed in us by maintaining a high standard of Christian conviction, by sincerity of purpose, by nurturing and sharing our gifts, and by integrity of our character. We are dedicated to upholding the dignity and worth of every person who seeks or is reached by our care and proclamation. In order to uphold our standards we, as ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ, covenant to live out the following Code of Ethics for Ministers:

A.    We will be true to the Judeo-Christian scriptures* in our preaching, teaching and manner of living.

B.    We will be true to Christian convictions as revealed in the Holy Bible* as interpreted, taught to, and nurtured in us by the church, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

C.    We will live lives of integrity, upholding the commitments we make to God, to others, to the church and to ourselves.

D.    We will exercise lifestyles consistent with the teachings of Christ, giving serious attention to relevant statements of the General Convention of Full Gospel Churches International.

E.    We will assume responsibility for our physical and emotional health and for our spiritual growth and enrichment. We will strive to maintain ourselves and not allow others expectations for us to endanger our well being.

F.    We will treat members of our family with Christian love and respect.

G.   We will treat our congregation with Christian love and respect.

H.   We will not misuse the trust placed in us, nor the unique power, inherent in our role by exploiting in any way those who seek our help or care.

I.     We will not engage in any use of our role within the church to take advantage of the vulnerability of any person by causing that person to engage in sexual activity or contact with us.

J.     We will not engage in any form of child abuse*, sexual, physical or emotional.

K.    We will not use our office or authority to apply influence upon others in order to get bequests, gifts or loans that would personally benefit us.

L.    We will endeavor to manage our affairs in order to live within our income and neither expect, nor specify financial favors or gratuities because of our position.

M.   We will be responsible and honest in the management of all resources and funds entrusted to our care in the course of our position.

N.    We will give credit for all sources quoted or extensively paraphrased in sermons and prepared papers. We will endeavor to honor all copyrights**.

0.     We will respect the privacy of individuals and will not divulge information obtained in confidence without expressed permission.

P.    We will neither exchange, entertain, nor tolerate scandalous, malicious or inaccurate information with or about other persons.

Q.    We will maintain a friendly, courteous, and cooperative relationship with other ministers, both within our fellowship and in the larger Christian community. We will not proselytize people from other congregations. We will not render professional service fri the congregation being served by another pastor without the knowledge and consent of that pastor, except in emergencies.

R.    We will not perform professional services fri former congregations, unless invited to do so by the pres ent pastor. We consider it unethical to be involved in the pastoral affairs of a congregation after leav­ing it or upon retirement, or to cultivate such relationships with former parishioners as may hinder the ministry of the new pastor.

S.    We believe professional growth is a lifelong process, and we will seek out opportunities to continue to grow spiritually and in ministry skills.

T.    We will report all cases of suspected child abuse. We will be knowledgeable of and act in accordance with the mandated reporting requirements of similar professionals within our state.

U.    We will not engage in pastoral counseling which leads us beyond the limits of our training and experience. We will make appropriate use of both consulting and referral services in our community.

V.    In the event an allegation is brought against us, we will participate in the organization’s process for dealing with allegations of ministerial misconduct.

*As is set forth in the authorized 1611 King James Version of the Holy Bible.

**CCLI (Christian Copyright Licensing, Inc., 17201 NE Sacramento St., Portland, Oregon 97230) is an