REACH MINISTRIES INTEGRITY STATEMENT
The REACH Ministries Integrity Statement communicates to secular foundations, government, public, and faith communities how REACH will conduct itself when they accept funding and when it provides service. REACH will provide effective services, give value for money, treat all clients with respect, and hold our dealings above all reproach.
Compliance: We agree to abide by the regulations of REACH Ministries. We openly affirm that secular foundations, government, or faith based funding legitimately asserts certain requirements, and that, having agreed to accept the funds, we accept the responsibilities attached unless conscience would compel dissent. We commit to use only private funds, and never secular foundations, public, or government contract funds, to underwrite inherently religious activities such as worship, sectarian instruction, and evangelism.
Truthfulness and Transparency: We commit ourselves to open, straightforward, clear, consistent communication about our religious identity to our volunteers, service beneficiaries, donors, and government agencies. This means that our program descriptions will clearly depict our expectations of program participants, and will explain which components of our programs are optional and which are mandatory. Our desire is to allow potential staff, volunteers, participants, and government contacts to make choices about involvement with our organization based on full and accurate information about our program content, methodology, ethos, and goals.
Autonomy/Preservation of Religious Character: We celebrate our identity as a faith-based organization and affirm REACH Ministries guarantee to protect our religious character. We agree to refrain from using secular and government funds to underwrite instruction that seeks to convert people to our religious faith - e.g., confessional activities such as study of sacred texts or classes in religious doctrine. But we maintain our right to identify our faith perspective in our educational endeavors (for example, inculcating morals consistent with the Bible).
Witness: We commit ourselves to a gentle and winsome public witness and to the creation of an environment in which staff, volunteers, and program participants are free to speak openly about their own lives, including their faith. Our staff and volunteers are instructed to welcome and lovingly respond to spiritual inquiry and discussion initiated by program participants. The environment of our program, and the behavior and demeanor of our staff and volunteers, witnesses to our faith commitments. When a program participant wishes to explore inherently religious topics like salvation, scripture interpretation or worship, we will welcome the opportunity and arrange a time to do so outside the scheduled times of the government-funded program.
Love of Neighbor: We are committed to responding to our neighbors' diverse educational, vocational, financial, spiritual, emotional, and physical needs, treating each individual with dignity. We affirm "relational ministry" that helps poor and needy people to connect to personal support networks - e.g. mentoring relationships with church members or support groups affiliated with the person's religious tradition - equipped to offer them emotional and practical help. Participation in such groups, however, will never be required as a pre-requisite for receiving services. Our goal is to inform program participants of the options available to them for cultivating a personal network of support; they themselves must be free to determine whether or not to pursue those opportunities.
Freedom from Religious Coercion: We reject all forms of religious coercion and will not make the receipt of services contingent on the service beneficiary's participation in religious activities we sponsor. In programs underwritten with secular foundations and government funds, we pledge to refrain from making attendance in religious activities mandatory.
Non-Discrimination of Beneficiaries: We will offer our services to all persons in need, regardless of their religious affiliation (or lack of affiliation).
Mission Focus: We agree to pursue financial collaboration with secular foundation, government and faith - based only for those ventures that clearly fit within our sense of mission and calling, rather than adding on program elements simply because there is government money available to fund them. We pledge not to silence our prophetic voice. Hence, we will not hesitate remain objective in our focus.
Evaluation: We commit ourselves to credible and objective evaluation procedures and to maintaining clear and documented participant records to facilitate proper assessment of program performance.
Golden Rule: We commit ourselves to avoiding "turf-wars", gossip, and negative posturing in our competition with fellow faith-based organizations in bidding for government contracts; rather, we will treat our fellow religious and secular competitors as we ourselves want to be treated.
Financial Accountability: We affirm that, as recipients of foundation, faith community, and public funding, we are accountable to God and to government. We will seek a precise and exemplary standard of financial accountability and detail that is above reproach - including fully separate accounting of public and private dollars and transparency in financial practices.