Ministry policy & procedure

Purpose

The purpose of this ministry policy is to preserve the spiritual integrity, doctrinal purity, and spiritual safety of this Christian ministry and those serving within it. We represent Jesus Christ and, consequently, need to ensure that we conduct ourselves in a manner that upholds the Biblical mandate to be holy as He is holy (1 Pet 1:16).

A. Our Core Standard for Active Ministry Service

To ensure alignment with New Testament principles (Acts 6:3, 1 Tim 3), anyone seeking to serve within the ministry team, including serving food, leading prayer and engaging in evangelism, must meet the following criteria:

1. Profession of Faith

The ministry worker must openly profess Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour and affirm the Christian doctrine as outlined in our ‘Statement of Faith’.

2. Spiritual Authority

The ministry worker must be indwelt by the Holy Spirit and demonstrate a genuine salvation as outlined in ‘Evidence of a Saving Faith’.

3. Doctrinal Unity

a) The ministry worker must not hold to, promote, or be actively affiliated with non-Christian religions, cults, and/or false teachings.

b) Nor can the ministry worker be affiliated with any Christian organisation that does partner in ministry with non-Christian religions, cults and/or false teachings.

Note: This does not apply to emergency humanitarian efforts where diverse groups coexist to distribute aid, provided that such involvement is strictly confined to the immediate, short-term duration of the disaster relief or cleanup operation.

B. Leadership Authority and Accountability

The Leadership Team holds the final authority and responsibility to discern, vet, and approve all ministry workers. If a ministry worker’s Biblical doctrine and/or spiritual walk is found to be in conflict with these guidelines, leadership will gently but firmly step the individual down from service and apply the appropriate boundary:

For Christian Workers: If a Believer is stepped down due to unrepentant sin or spiritual oppression, they will be immediately redirected to the Pastoral Pathway for Restoration, as outlined in Section C.

For Non-Christian / Secular Individuals: If an individual is stepped down because they do not hold to the Christian faith or our Statement of Faith, they will be warmly redirected straight to Guest Status, as outlined in Section D.

C. Pastoral Care, Discipline & Restoration

1. Scriptural Foundation & Operational Standard

In alignment with Biblical mandates regarding spiritual purity and Church order (1 Cor 14:40, Gal 5:19-21, Rom 16:17, Titus 3:10, Eph 5:3), this ministry requires all workers to maintain a standard of conduct that reflects Christ (Gal 5:22-23). Consequently, ministry workers who are actively experiencing severe spiritual oppression, or those living in unrepentant sin (including but not limited to occult involvement, sexual immorality, or divisive behaviours like gossip and spreading false teaching) cannot participate in ministry operations.

2. Leadership Protocols

When a worker exhibits signs of severe spiritual oppression, demonic influence, and/or ongoing unrepentant moral failure, leadership will implement the following three-step protocol:

i. Prioritising Spiritual Restoration and Repentance Over Service

Immediately suspend the individual from active service. The priority shifts from the worker serving within the ministry to having their own personal spiritual health needs met.

ii. Initiate a Pastoral Pathway for Restoration:

Engage the individual through private, compassionate pastoral care, focused prayer, and discipleship.

iii. Verify Restoration Before Reinstatement

Ministry involvement will remain suspended until the individual has experienced full spiritual freedom, genuine repentance, and a period of verified restoration observed and approved by ministry leadership.

Should this restoration pathway fail to result in freedom or repentance, the leadership will warmly redirect the individual to Guest Status, as outlined in Section D.

D. Handling Non-Christian Religions and Secular Groups

This Christian ministry maintains a distinct boundary between ministering to the community and partnering with the community to minister.

1. Welcomed as Guests

Members of non-Christian religions and secular groups are warmly welcomed to attend our gatherings, receive care, build friendships, and hear the Gospel (1 Cor 5:9–11), but are never allowed to participate in carrying out the ministry.

2. Restricted from Ministry Service

Members of non-Christian religions and secular groups are prohibited from serving alongside the ministry team for the following Scriptural reasons:

• Violates Ministry Qualifications (Acts 6:1-8): Biblical servers, even at the tables, must be full of the Holy Spirit. Non-Christian volunteers do not have the Holy Spirit and cannot properly represent Christ, share the Gospel, or glorify God.
• Creates an Unequal Yoke (2 Cor 6:14-18): Serving side-by-side within a ministry forms a spiritual partnership that explicitly violates the command to remain separate from non-believers.
• Contradicts Jesus' Example (Lk 9:57-62): Jesus never used shared ministry or served with non-Christians as a way of reaching unbelieving individuals.
• Risks Spiritual Compromise (1 Kings 11, Num 25): Biblical history warns us that mixing closely with pagan belief systems consistently leads Believers away from God rather than converting the unbelievers.
• Ignores Pastoral Warnings (Acts 20:29, Jude 1:4): Apostles warned the church to strictly protect its boundaries against external ungodly spiritual influences.
• Validates False Doctrine Allowing non-Christian religions and secular groups to serve encourages their false beliefs rather than showing them their need for the Gospel.

E. Maintaining Unity Amid Non-Essential Doctrinal Differences

Scripture commands us to actively pursue peace and prevent division within the Body of Christ (Jn 17:20-23; Rom 12:18; Eph 4:26-32; Heb 12:14).

…as He leads… recognises and accepts that leaders and members will hold varying perspectives on non-essential doctrines. However, these differing views on secondary matters must never become a source of disunity.

To help us protect our shared fellowship and ministry focus, please download and read our official approach to navigating non-essential doctrinal differences.

Please also read these two related short articles found on our resource page:

• ‘Resolving Doctrinal & Church Disagreements’
• ‘Dealing With Divisive False Teachers’