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CONVENTION AUDIO
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CONVENTION PICTURES
CONVENTION REVIEW
CONVENTION BUSINESS
Standard of Ethics for Churches and Pastors
The climate in the world to which we minister today is one which is increasingly cool when it comes to attitudes and behavior that even resemble anything close to a biblical standard of ethics. Unfortunately, that climate is having a growing impact on the Church. With increasing frequency we can identify the problems that exist in churches as being related, in their root causes, to a violation of biblical ethics on the part of the church, or on the part of the Pastor. In some cases, violations have occurred on the part of both the Pastor and the church.
For two years, the IFCA Board of Directors, has worked to craft a suggested statement of ethics for churches and a similar statement for Pastors. These statements were finalized during the Board’s meetings just prior to the Convention in June 2008. It is hoped that making these resources available will provide a tool for those who are concerned about holding the line, and perhaps even regaining it, in this important matter of maintaining a biblical standard in the war of ethics.
You are encouraged to use these resources, adopting and/or adapting them, as you may require in your particular situation.
IFCA International Standard of Ethics for Churches
IFCA International Standard of Ethics for Pastors
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Divorce/Individual Membership Study
While presenting a proposed revision of the entire constitution at the IFCA International Annual Convention in 2003, the IFCA Board of Directors made a commitment to the constituents to conduct a detailed examination of the matter of divorce and its relationship to the standards for individual membership in IFCA International.
In November 2004, after engaging in extensive discussions of the matter, the Board of Directors authorized the President of the Board to appoint a blue ribbon committee to study the matter. Each of the Board members submitted, in writing, their suggestions to the President as to whom might be considered for appointment. After prayerful consideration, the President made his appointments in December 2004.
The assignment given to this committee was “to review the position and rationale of IFCA International relative to the matter of divorce, ministry qualifications, and IFCA membership.” They were further instructed that, should they have any changes to recommend, “… they shall make such recommendation to the IFCA Board of Directors, with appropriate defense of their recommendation.”
This committee, “The Committee on Divorce and IFCA Relationship” met for the first time just prior to the 2005 Annual Convention in Hunt Valley MD. Subsequently they worked together via e-mail and other modes of communication, meeting again together in La Puente CA on January 3-5, 2006.
A report of the committee’s work including a statement of recommendation adopted by that committee, was submitted to the Board of Directors in November 2006. Supporting Documents were also provided by the Committee in which the committee members detailed several biblically defensible positions on the matter of divorce.
An informational report was given to the delegates at the Convention in Tulsa, OK in June 2007 and that report with the above-mentioned documents was subsequently sent out to the entire membership.
After another year of prayerful discussion and study, the Board of Directors came to a final decision regarding the matter and published that decision at the Convention in Eugene OR, this past June 2008.
In all these reports and the written words there is no way to convey the high degree of intense emotional anguish and struggle that were experienced throughout these deliberations on the part of all involved. In the end the decision made was the one that the Board felt best enabled IFCA International to effectively carry on as an organization dedicated to working together in biblical ministry.
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