This draft statement comes from the Forum for Change, May 2014.
Shared
Activity is driven by both the vision and the values –
you cannot consider one without the other, each are equally
important.
“All power tends to corrupt” so it is essential to
have structures in place to pull in the opposite direction.
(Three essential structures are integrity, accountability and
transparency.)
Integrity: who we are is more important than what we do, so
integrity is more important than effectiveness.
Accountability: other trusted people must be able to ask
‘what?’ and ‘why?’ and get an honest answer.
Transparency: the important details of what is done and why
must be accessible to the public.
Politics
Our primary commitment is to Jesus, not to a political party
or ideology.
No political party is completely right, but only by working
within the available structures can we seek to make a difference.
We join a political party (like we join a church or
denomination) not because it is right, but because it is right
enough, and because we can make a difference there.
Love your enemy – when we disagree with people, they are
generally fighting for a good end, even if we disagree with them
about methods and priorities.
Social Action
Energy comes from the people who buy into the vision and the
values.
Authority comes from performance, not from position.
Everything comes down to relationships – loving people,
seeking to understand them and being available to them.
Start small in both size and scope – learn to do it well
before you try to do it big.
Work in partnership – help and support the organisations
around you, learn from each other.
Franchise good ideas – if something works, use it.
Avoid ‘me too’ projects (meeting the same need the
same way in the same area) – if something is already being
done, work with it to support it and make it better or do
something substantially different.
Be confident about access to resources – do not
undermine other organisations or criticise them in public.
Don’t fight turf battles – there are enough needy
people to go around.
