Code of ethics

Fidelity to Christ. Put into practice the greatest commandment.

Respect for Others. Treat people as you want to be treated.

Integrity and Honesty. Tell the truth and avoid any wrongdoing to the best of your ability.

Justice. Make sure you’re objective and fair and don’t disadvantage others.

Lawfulness. Know and follow the law – always.

Competence and Accountability. Work hard, be responsible for your work, and know when to refer.

 

Fidelity to Christ

Mark 12:29-30 (ESV) “The most important [commandment] is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’” There is One God, eternally existent in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. Jesus, the second person to the Trinity, is God who became flesh to complete the atoning work on the cross at Calvary. Repentance of sin and faith in the atoning work of Jesus on the cross is the only way to salvation. There is no other way to be saved from sin and the penalty of sin. This is salvation by grace alone. It is your responsibility to remain true to the faith and the advancement of the Gospel.

 

Respect for Others

Galatians 5:14 (ESV) “For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” It is mandatory to respect everyone you interact with. Be kind, polite, empathetic, and understanding. You must respect others’ personal space, opinions and privacy. When speaking with others you must speak with kindness, gentleness, and respect. Any kind of physical, verbal, or psychological violence is strictly prohibited and will result in immediate termination of certification. You are also not allowed to harass or victimize others. You are responsible for facilitating an environment of respect within your means.

 

Integrity and Honesty

Colossians 3:17 (ESV) “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

 

1 Peter 3:13-18 (ESV) “Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.”

 

You are obligated to being truthful and honest in all areas of your life, and you commit to communicate this truth in love. Be honest and transparent when you act in ways that impact other people. Do not resort to disingenuous, malicious, deceitful or petty conduct.

 

Justice

Proverbs 20:23 (ESV) “Unequal weights are an abomination to the Lord, and false scales are not good.”

Psalm 89:14 (ESV) “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.”

James 2:9 (ESV) “But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.”

 

Do not act in a way that exploits others, their hard work or their mistakes. Give everyone equal opportunity and speak up when someone else doesn’t. Be objective when making decisions that can impact other people. Be sure that you can justify any decision with sound scripture, written records, or examples. Seek and use the most objective methods in any case. Do not discriminate against others. If you suspect you may have an unconscious bias that influences your decisions ask for help from someone qualified. When exercising authority, be fair. Do not show favoritism.

 

Lawfulness

Romans 13:1-2 (ESV) Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore, whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.”

 

You are obliged to follow all laws which apply to your state or local jurisdiction. Depending on your role and profession, there might be various laws you need to observe. When there is a conflict between what God commands and what the law requires, you must be held captive by obedience to the Word of God.

 

Competence and Accountability

James 5:16 “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”

 

Galatians 6:2-5 (ESV) “Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. For each will have to bear his own load.”

 

We all need to put a healthy amount of effort in our work. Laziness, unpreparedness, and slothfulness is unacceptable. This comes in direct conflict with our respect and integrity principles. Take up opportunities for learning and development. Is never acceptable to practice outside of your professional expertise and competency level. Know that it is okay, and sometimes necessary, to refer your client to a more qualified individual.                                                                                                                                          

Also, take responsibility for your actions. We all make mistakes or need to make tough decisions and it’s important we own up to them. Failing to be accountable is irresponsible and is not tolerated and may result in termination of certification. If you take responsibility and come up with ways to fix your mistakes where possible, you will be in a far better position. Be generous with your expertise and knowledge. Be open to learning and evolving. Work with others and do not hesitate to ask for help when you need it.

 

Position on Marriage

Man and women originated from one flesh and therefore when they come together their “one flesh” union is restored. This is a sacred event. We have come to know this “coming together” as marriage. Established by God, this covenant exists between one man and one woman and is at the very foundation of a healthy society. We believe this institution mirrors the relationship between God and his people. Just as God’s love is entrenched into the relationship of his people so should the intimacy exist between a husband and wife. This establishment sets the following precedents: Complementary but opposite sexual pairing of sexes – HeterosexualityTwo-member union – MonogamySacrament of male and female union – Marriage Therefore, we hold to the truth that biblical marriage is a heterosexual monogamous covenant. 

 

We hold to the Danvers Statement and the Nashville Statement on Marriage, Gender Roles, Manhood, and Womanhood, and Sexuality.

 

The Danvers Statement on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood

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Rationale

We have been moved in our purpose by the following contemporary developments which we observe with deep concern:

1. The widespread uncertainty and confusion in our culture regarding the complementary differences between masculinity and femininity;

2. the tragic effects of this confusion in unraveling the fabric of marriage woven by God out of the beautiful and diverse strands of manhood and womanhood;

3. the increasing promotion given to feminist egalitarianism with accompanying distortions or neglect of the glad harmony portrayed in Scripture between the loving, humble leadership of redeemed husbands and the intelligent, willing support of that leadership by redeemed wives;

4. the widespread ambivalence regarding the values of motherhood, vocational homemaking, and the many ministries historically performed by women;

5. the growing claims of legitimacy for sexual relationships which have Biblically and historically been considered illicit or perverse, and the increase in pornographic portrayal of human sexuality;

6. the upsurge of physical and emotional abuse in the family;

7. the emergence of roles for men and women in church leadership that do not conform to Biblical teaching but backfire in the crippling of Biblically faithful witness;

8. the increasing prevalence and acceptance of hermeneutical oddities devised to reinterpret apparently plain meanings of Biblical texts;

9. the consequent threat to Biblical authority as the clarity of Scripture is jeopardized and the accessibility of its meaning to ordinary people is withdrawn into the restricted realm of technical ingenuity;

10. and behind all this the apparent accommodation of some within the church to the spirit of the age at the expense of winsome, radical Biblical authenticity which in the power of the Holy Spirit may reform rather than reflect our ailing culture.

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Affirmations

Based on our understanding of Biblical teachings, we affirm the following:

1. Both Adam and Eve were created in God's image, equal before God as persons and distinct in their manhood and womanhood (Gen 1:26-27; 2:18).

2. Distinctions in masculine and feminine roles are ordained by God as part of the created order, and should find an echo in every human heart (Gen 2:18, 21-24; 1 Cor 11:7-9; 1 Tim 2:12-14).

3. Adam's headship in marriage was established by God before the Fall, and was not a result of sin (Gen 2:16-18, 21-24; 3:1-13; 1 Cor 11:7-9).

4. The Fall introduced distortions into the relationships between men and women (Gen 3:1-7, 12, 16).

   1. In the home, the husband's loving, humble headship tends to be replaced by domination or passivity; the wife's intelligent, willing submission tends to be replaced by usurpation or servility.

   2. In the church, sin inclines men toward a worldly love of power or an abdication of spiritual responsibility, and inclines women to resist limitations on their roles or to neglect the use of their gifts in appropriate ministries.

5. The Old Testament, as well as the New Testament, manifests the equally high value and dignity which God attached to the roles of both men and women (Gen 1:26-27, 2:18; Gal 3:28). Both Old and New Testaments also affirm the principle of male headship in the family and in the covenant community (Gen 2:18; Eph 5:21-33; Col 3:18-19; 1 Tim 2:11-15).

6. Redemption in Christ aims at removing the distortions introduced by the curse.

   1. In the family, husbands should forsake harsh or selfish leadership and grow in love and care for their wives; wives should forsake resistance to their husbands' authority and grow in willing, joyful submission to their husbands' leadership (Eph 5:21-33; Col 3:18-19; Tit 2:3-5; 1 Pet 3:1-7).

   2. In the church, redemption in Christ gives men and women an equal share in the blessings of salvation; nevertheless, some governing and teaching roles within the church are restricted to men (Gal 3:28; 1 Cor 11:2-16; 1 Tim 2:11-15).

7. In all of life Christ is the supreme authority and guide for men and women, so that no earthly submission-domestic, religious, or civil-ever implies a mandate to follow a human authority into sin (Dan 3:10-18; Acts 4:19-20; 5:27-29; 1 Pet 3:1-2).

8. In both men and women a heartfelt sense of call to ministry should never be used to set aside Biblical criteria for particular ministries (1 Tim 2:11-15; 3:1-13; Tit 1:5-9). Rather, Biblical teaching should remain the authority for testing our subjective discernment of God's will.

9. With half the world's population outside the reach of indigenous evangelism; with countless other lost people in those societies that have heard the gospel; with the stresses and miseries of sickness, malnutrition, homelessness, illiteracy, ignorance, aging, addiction, crime, incarceration, neuroses, and loneliness, no man or woman who feels a passion from God to make His grace known in word and deed need ever live without a fulfilling ministry for the glory of Christ and the good of this fallen world (1 Cor 12:7-21).

10. We are convinced that a denial or neglect of these principles will lead to increasingly destructive consequences in our families, our churches, and the culture at large.

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Nashville Statement on Biblical Sexuality

“Know that the LORD Himself is God;  It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves…” -Psalm 100:3

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Preamble

Evangelical Christians at the dawn of the twenty-first century find themselves living in a period of historic transition. As Western culture has become increasingly post-Christian, it has embarked upon a massive revision of what it means to be a human being. By and large the spirit of our age no longer discerns or delights in the beauty of God’s design for human life. Many deny that God created human beings for his glory, and that his good purposes for us include our personal and physical design as male and female. It is common to think that human identity as male and female is not part of God’s beautiful plan, but is, rather, an expression of an individual’s autonomous preferences. The pathway to full and lasting joy through God’s good design for his creatures is thus replaced by the path of shortsighted alternatives that, sooner or later, ruin human life and dishonor God.
 
This secular spirit of our age presents a great challenge to the Christian church. Will the church of the Lord Jesus Christ lose her biblical conviction, clarity, and courage, and blend into the spirit of the age? Or will she hold fast to the word of life, draw courage from Jesus, and unashamedly proclaim his way as the way of life? Will she maintain her clear, counter-cultural witness to a world that seems bent on ruin?
 
We are persuaded that faithfulness in our generation means declaring once again the true story of the world and of our place in it—particularly as male and female. Christian Scripture teaches that there is but one God who alone is Creator and Lord of all. To him alone, every person owes gladhearted thanksgiving, heart-felt praise, and total allegiance. This is the path not only of glorifying God, but of knowing ourselves. To forget our Creator is to forget who we are, for he made us for himself. And we cannot know ourselves truly without truly knowing him who made us. We did not make ourselves. We are not our own. Our true identity, as male and female persons, is given by God. It is not only foolish, but hopeless, to try to make ourselves what God did not create us to be.  
 
We believe that God’s design for his creation and his way of salvation serve to bring him the greatest glory and bring us the greatest good. God’s good plan provides us with the greatest freedom. Jesus said he came that we might have life and have it in overflowing measure. He is for us and not against us. Therefore, in the hope of serving Christ’s church and witnessing publicly to the good purposes of God for human sexuality revealed in Christian Scripture, we offer the following affirmations and denials.
 

Article 1

WE AFFIRM that God has designed marriage to be a covenantal, sexual, procreative, lifelong union of one man and one woman, as husband and wife, and is meant to signify the covenant love between Christ and his bride the church. WE DENY that God has designed marriage to be a homosexual, polygamous, or polyamorous relationship. We also deny that marriage is a mere human contract rather than a covenant made before God.
 

Article 2

WE AFFIRM that God’s revealed will for all people is chastity outside of marriage and fidelity within marriage. WE DENY that any affections, desires, or commitments ever justify sexual intercourse before or outside marriage; nor do they justify any form of sexual immorality.
 

Article 3

WE AFFIRM that God created Adam and Eve, the first human beings, in his own image, equal before God as persons, and distinct as male and female. WE DENY that the divinely ordained differences between male and female render them unequal in dignity or worth.
 

Article 4

WE AFFIRM that divinely ordained differences between male and female reflect God’s original creation design and are meant for human good and human flourishing. WE DENY that such differences are a result of the Fall or are a tragedy to be overcome.
 

Article 5

WE AFFIRM that the differences between male and female reproductive structures are integral to God’s design for self-conception as male or female. WE DENY that physical anomalies or psychological conditions nullify the God-appointed link between biological sex and self-conception as male or female.
 

Article 6

WE AFFIRM that those born with a physical disorder of sex development are created in the image of God and have dignity and worth equal to all other image-bearers. They are acknowledged by our Lord Jesus in his words about “eunuchs who were born that way from their mother's womb.” With all others they are welcome as faithful followers of Jesus Christ and should embrace their biological sex insofar as it may be known. WE DENY that ambiguities related to a person’s biological sex render one incapable of living a fruitful life in joyful obedience to Christ.
 

Article 7

WE AFFIRM that self-conception as male or female should be defined by God’s holy purposes in creation and redemption as revealed in Scripture.  WE DENY that adopting a homosexual or transgender self-conception is consistent with God’s holy purposes in creation and redemption.  
 

Article 8

WE AFFIRM that people who experience sexual attraction for the same sex may live a rich and fruitful life pleasing to God through faith in Jesus Christ, as they, like all Christians, walk in purity of life. WE DENY that sexual attraction for the same sex is part of the natural goodness of God’s original creation, or that it puts a person outside the hope of the gospel.
 

Article 9

WE AFFIRM that sin distorts sexual desires by directing them away from the marriage covenant and toward sexual immorality— a distortion that includes both heterosexual and homosexual immorality. WE DENY that an enduring pattern of desire for sexual immorality justifies sexually immoral behavior.

 

Article 10

WE AFFIRM that it is sinful to approve of homosexual immorality or transgenderism and that such approval constitutes an essential departure from Christian faithfulness and witness. WE DENY that the approval of homosexual immorality or transgenderism is a matter of moral indifference about which otherwise faithful Christians should agree to disagree.

 

Article 11

WE AFFIRM our duty to speak the truth in love at all times, including when we speak to or about one another as male or female. WE DENY any obligation to speak in such ways that dishonor God’s design of his imagebearers as male and female.

 

Article 12

WE AFFIRM that the grace of God in Christ gives both merciful pardon and transforming power, and that this pardon and power enable a follower of Jesus to put to death sinful desires and to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord. WE DENY that the grace of God in Christ is insufficient to forgive all sexual sins and to give power for holiness to every believer who feels drawn into sexual sin.

 

Article 13

WE AFFIRM that the grace of God in Christ enables sinners to forsake transgender selfconceptions and by divine forbearance to accept the God-ordained link between one’s biological sex and one’s self-conception as male or female. WE DENY that the grace of God in Christ sanctions self-conceptions that are at odds with God’s revealed will.

 

Article 14

WE AFFIRM that Christ Jesus has come into the world to save sinners and that through Christ’s death and resurrection forgiveness of sins and eternal life are available to every person who repents of sin and trusts in Christ alone as Savior, Lord, and supreme treasure.  WE DENY that the Lord’s arm is too short to save or that any sinner is beyond his reach.

 

Statement of Faith

 

We believe the Bible, the 66 canonical books, to be the inspired and only infallible Word of God.
 
We believe that there is One God (Monotheism), eternally existent in three persons: God the Father, God
the Son, God the Holy Spirit.
 
We believe God created Adam (male) and Eve (female) in his own image. By disobedience, they fell from their sinless state. This fall plunged humanity into a state of sin and death, and this is brought upon all humanity. From this condition we can be saved only by the grace of God, through faith, on the basis of the work of Christ, and by the agency of the Holy Spirit.
 
We believe in the virgin birth of Jesus. This event happened one time and was a supernatural miracle by which Jesus became flesh.
 
We believe Jesus, the second person to the Trinity, is God who became flesh to complete the atoning work on the cross at Calvary.
 
We believe that repentance of sin and faith in the atoning work of Jesus on the cross is the only way to salvation. There is no other way to be saved from sin and the penalty of sin. This is salvation by grace alone.
 
We believe in the physical-bodily resurrection of Jesus, and his physical return for his church (The Body of Christ)
 
We believe in baptism by water and the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit aids in the regeneration, sanctification, and glorification of the believer.