SIM West Africa “Ethos”
In dependence upon the Holy Spirit, fully identified with the vision, purpose, mission and core values of SIM, and in sincere inter-dependent partnership with each other as vital members of the global mission family, we the community known as SIM West Africa, affirm these commitments before the Triune God:
1. We commit ourselves to personal purity.
We affirm the need for vital personal growth in Christ, with transparency before God and our colleagues. Integrity and holiness must mark our personal walk with God. These are intimate matters, but at the same time we can and must submit them to scrutiny by loving and honest colleagues. We will establish a personal team of fellow servants who are authorized to call us to authentic accountability in our private, family and public worlds. When necessary we will submit to and support transforming repentance, forgiveness, discipline and restoration.
2. We commit ourselves to the spiritual disciplines.
We confess that as Christian leaders we have given too little time to prayer, the Word, to fasting and meditation, to worship and deeper reflection. We ask God’s forgiveness for this inconsistency. We in SIM West Africa desire that our ministry be marked by personal integrity and godliness, along with competency, strategic thinking, quality research and effective programs. We pledge to help, encourage and challenge each other by sharing valuable sources, counsel, articles and books that have impacted us directly. We pledge to pray for each other and inform each other that we are doing so. We commit to read some of the challenging and even difficult books on spiritual formation that have been produced by women and men of God over the centuries who know what they speak of.
3. We commit ourselves to our family.
We affirm that parents and/or spouse and children are our initial ministry responsibility. May our ministry, including extensive travel, not be carried out at their expense, producing bitterness and alienation from family and/or faith, but rather resulting in love and respect. We will always seek to maintain a balance between family and outside ministry.
4. We commit ourselves to ask the intervening and empowering Spirit of God to examine our weaknesses and addictions in ministry,
some of which we list here: abuse of our position and authority, unjust treatment of fellow-workers, addiction to travel, tendencies to be workaholics, weakness in personal morality and temptation, attraction to internet pornography, struggles with faithfulness to the spirit as well as the law of our marriage vows. We ask the Spirit of God, along with our sisters and brothers, to expose these addictions and help us recover from them.
5. We commit ourselves to a local church.
We will seek opportunities for witness and service according to our gifts and time. We will model in our local churches what we in the broader SIM community desire to see built in the worldwide Body of Christ. We desire to see vital missional churches who truly impact their community and from that base spread out to the world.
6. We commit ourselves to financial integrity.
We accept our responsibility as stewards of God’s resources and, if necessary, will open our personal financial records to trusted colleagues. We will ask competent accounting firms to examine and evaluate our corporate financial books, and we will ask courageous colleagues to evaluate our motives and processes as we raise, account for and utilize funds.
7. We commit ourselves to respect Christian organizations and leaders.
We seek to build up the Body of Christ! We confess that too easily we succumb to the temptation to belittle other colleagues and ministries. We wish to be characterized as a mission that genuinely affirms other leaders and the ministries they serve. Where there is error, however, we will speak the truth in love.
8. We commit ourselves to honest communication.
We will report stories and statistics accurately, without embellishment. We shall give credit to sources as well as individuals and organizations involved. We will not be involved in gossip or the spreading of rumors.
We affirm these eight commitments as a personal and corporate SIM ethos, exemplifying the Apostle Paul’s charge: “You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed.” I Thessalonians 2:10
(Adapted from the World Evangelical Alliance Mission Commission’s Covenant of Best Personal and Ministry Practice, based on the 1994 “Singapore Covenant.” Used with permission.)