What an ethos statement is and why you should consider having one

Whilst the philosopher Eugene Lewis Fordsworthe is credited as coining the original saying, most people will have heard the saying ​“assumption is the mother of all mistakes” in one form or another. So before you get into the hot water that comes with assumption, why not make the decision to have the conversation up front ‒ before it becomes about one individual and their views or stance?

What an ethos statement is and why you should consider having one

Many churches and organisations have a statement of faith and then perhaps an employment-specific code of conduct. But lots of these documents have little to say about prayer, Bible reading, going to church or sharing your faith, let alone more contentious issues such as sexuality and gender.

If assumptions aren’t stated then employees, students, church attenders or volunteers may understandably cry foul if they feel the goal posts are being moved in the middle of the game. These decisions also often fall to boards who are themselves not always well equipped or willing to make difficult decisions. 

The solution might be an ethos statement which sets out the ethos and practice of the church or organisation and gets people to agree up front to patterns of behaviour. You can see the ethos and practice document of the Evangelical Alliance here. We ask all our staff to affirm this statement when they join the organisation. We also review staff commitment to it as part of our annual review process. 

The Evangelical Alliance 

At the Evangelical Alliance we ask our staff to agree to our Basis of Faith and our Code of Conduct. However, we were aware that these documents did not cover some areas as clearly as they could. So, we began the process of drafting an Ethos and Practice document, setting out in a short, simple and clear form the patterns of behaviour that accord with an orthodox and historic understanding of the ethical implications of the evangelical Christian faith. This document was drafted by the Leadership Team with the agreement of the board. We sought input from our Theological Advisory Group and then consulted with the staff team. The final document was then agreed by the board and the Leadership Team. We then rolled it out to staff. We took some legal advice on this and would recommend others do the same. Going forward it is now part of the employment package of all staff. Our Basis of Faith, Code of Conduct and Ethos and Practice are all available online to help others. 

All in or all out?

Sometimes it will be appropriate to take a binary approach to such a statement ‒ are you in or out? At the Evangelical Alliance all posts with a genuine occupational requirement require the applicant to agree to our Basis of Faith, Code of Conduct and Ethos and Practice.

However, we have worked with other organisations who felt it was more appropriate to have a tiered approach. For example, a Bible College may require faculty to wholeheartedly agree or subscribe to a position, while staff support it, and students simply respect it. Or a church might decide that pastoral staff and elders should subscribe to an ethos and practice statement, while all staff and leaders need to support it, and members should simply respect the position.

Some of this will depend on culture. In North America it is common for Bible colleges to require board members and faculty to subscribe in writing to a theological position annually. That same requirement might feel very different culturally at a volunteer camp in the UK. An organisation might have strengthened its position but feel it’s unfair to exclude existing staff or volunteers who started before the change. Another factor could be whether certain posts have a genuine occupational requirement that the post-holder be a Christian. There are benefits and risks with each option and it is helpful to consider some of the questions below:

• Who decides the position of the organisation?
• Who needs to be in agreement with a position?
• What do they actually need to be in agreement with?
• Who decides or takes action if there is an issue?
• What process is used to decide and roll out any position?

A tiered approach 

Below we explore how a tiered approach might work. Each organisation or church would need to think about the difference between the tiers in terms of what people are committing to and which groups are in each tier. 

Subscription/​wholehearted agreement

This could apply to board members, faculty, senior staff, pastoral staff, elders and so on. 

This would involve full backing and commitment to the position ‒ publicly defending it and privately believing it.

On appointment and/​or annually the person would subscribe or commit (possibly in writing) to the organisation’s theological position ‒ this could be a statement of faith or could also include a statement of ethos and practice. 

Support

This could apply to non-pastoral staff, volunteers, PCC, deacons, small group leaders, members and so on.

This would involve publicly backing the position, living consistently with it and preclude any form of public disagreement. However, it could allow space for those who may have private reservations but can agree to public support.

So, for example: ABC ministry is an evangelical Christian organisation. We expect you to participate from time to time in such activities as prayer meetings, worship services, training and small groups. We expect you to be supportive of the unique characteristics of ABC as an evangelical Christian organisation as articulated in our Basis of Faith and statement of Ethos and Practice, and to live your life in ways consistent with them.

Respect

This could apply to members, students, volunteers, non-Christian staff in a mixed organisation.

This would involve reviewing the statement and understanding that it shapes the life of the church or organisation. This allows for a level of disagreement and the private raising of questions, although you may want to clarify what kinds of behaviours would be inconsistent – for example, advocating or campaigning for change or voicing public dissent. 

So, for example: In becoming a member/​volunteering/​registering for camp, I acknowledge that I have read ABC’s Basis of Faith and Statement of Evangelical Ethos and Practice which shape their values and practice and will be respectful toward them. 

The following example is adapted from working with several churches and organisations. In many situations there had been some historic teaching on contentious issues, but the church or organisation did not have a written policy or position paper. As personnel change, questions often arise, and it becomes clear that greater clarity is needed. Depending on the structure, it will often be helpful to have the board and leadership team work together to draft a document, perhaps drawing from and contextualising the Evangelical Alliance framework. There would then be a consultation process with staff and other leaders explaining the rationale and providing a space for questions. In some cases, this would be linked to a teaching series; resources are available from the Evangelical Alliance. The document could then be updated, taking on board any relevant feedback, and rolled out. It is important to build in some sort of review process to ensure current staff/​board remain committed and that new staff/​board are being properly inducted.

Ethos and practice of Anytown Church

Anytown Church is a grace-filled and loving church community pursuing God’s heart for Anytown. We are a church where lives are changing through the movement of the gospel that brings personal conversion, community formation, social justice and cultural renewal.

We are part of ​‘Another Denomination’ and subscribe to the Evangelical Alliance Basis of Faith. In light of this, we affirm:

1. Every person is fearfully and wonderfully made in God’s image and our choices and actions are informed by a reverence and respect for human life. God loves and cares for everyone in their physical, cultural and ethnic diversity; we are called to love everyone and treat them with dignity, mercy, compassion, kindness, humility and justice (Genesis 12:3; Leviticus 19:15; Deuteronomy 16:19, 24:17; Psalm 139:13‒16; Amos 5:24; Micah 6:8; John 15:12).
2. Jesus is good news and has commissioned His followers to go and make disciples. We are passionate about actively sharing the gospel and generously serving those in need (Matthew 25:35‒36, 28:16‒20; Acts 2:38; 1 Peter 3:15).
3. We are being discipled to love God, follow Jesus and respond to the Holy Spirit through regular prayer and worship, engaging with the Bible, participating in church and other spiritual disciplines. Our behaviour matters to God and impacts others and so we strive privately and publicly to live holy lives that honour Him and reflect His character (Mark 8:34‒38; John 14:15‒31; Ephesians 6:18; 1 Peter 1:13‒16; 2 Peter 1:3‒11).
4. We are God’s children, empowered by His Spirit, extending His Kingdom together. Through our whole-life discipleship, we affirm the value and importance of seeking to follow Jesus’ example, obeying His teachings, and dedicating our lives to the purposes of God (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4‒8, 2:38‒42; Ephesians 3:14‒19; 2 Corinthians 3:12‒18; 1 Peter 2:9).
5. God created human beings in His image, male and female, possessing equal value, made to glorify Him and together reflect His image. The human body in its given form, including biological sex, is an intrinsic part of human identity (Genesis 1:27; Genesis 2:23; Ephesians 5:21‒33; 1 Corinthians 6:19).
6. Friendship, family and marriage are gifts from God, designed for the flourishing of humanity and to glorify God. Sexual activity is a good gift from God that belongs exclusively within marriage between one man and one woman. God calls us to chastity within marriage and celibacy outside of it, and we seek to lovingly hold one another to these standards (Genesis 2:20‒24; Malachi 2:13‒16; Matthew 19:1‒12; John 15:12‒17; Romans 8:14‒17; 1 Corinthians 6:9‒10, 7:8‒16; Ephesians 5:21‒27; Revelation 19:6‒7, 21:1‒2).
7. God made the earth and entrusted humanity as its stewards and so we take seriously our responsibility to care for and cultivate His good creation knowing that God will make all things new (Genesis 1; Genesis 2:15; Psalm 8; Colossians 1:19‒20; Revelation 21:1‒5).

Wholehearted agreement ‒ We expect board, leadership team and pastoral staff to wholeheartedly agree with this statement of ethos and practice. In practice this means being fully on board: privately believing and publicly defending the ethos and practice of Anytown Church.

Support ‒ We expect staff, small group leaders and volunteer leaders to support this statement of ethos and practice. In practice this means publicly backing the position, living consistently with it and it precludes any form of public disagreement. However, it does allow space for those who may have private reservations but can agree to public support.

Respect ‒ We expect volunteers to respect this statement of ethos and practice. This means reviewing the statement and understanding that it shapes the life of Anytown Church. This allows for some level of disagreement and the private raising of questions, but it would be inconsistent to advocate or campaign for change.

Conclusion

There is no guaranteed way to protect your church or organisation, but there are positive steps you can take to mitigate risk and help foster clarity and trust. A statement of ethos and practice is not a silver bullet but can help strengthen your position as an organisation. However, you should always take advice about the specifics of your context.

Three final thoughts:

• Clarity is kindness ‒ both in terms of position and process. Teach and explain your position and be transparent about the process of reaching it.
• Make sure your board are on board ‒ this is a critical area of governance and one that cannot be ignored. Every church or organisation does have a position, whether stated or not. Better to be clear before the problem arises.
• The clock is ticking ‒ delaying won’t make this any easier. In fact it generally makes it harder. It will also take time to do well, so be realistic about the timeframe for any process.