Code of Conduct

Section 1

Staff and Volunteers are Encouraged to:

Nurture their own relationship with God

• Join regularly in the life and ministry of the Church
• Study and reflect on the Scriptures in private and in groups
• Pray regularly in private and in fellowship with and for the people and ministry of the Church; and
• Give of your time and finances to the work of the Church, as an expression of our gratitude to God.

Nurture healthy relationships

• Treat others with respect
• Love and care for your family (including paying attention to the effect of ministry on them)
• Be a team player
• Be accountable
• Cooperate with other staff and volunteers
• Treat every program participant fairly and equitably
• Acknowledge when I am out of my depth, or do not possess the required skill set in difficult pastoral situations (such as helping a victim of abuse, or a person who needs professional counselling), and seek help from the Safe Church Team or a Pastor.

Section 2

Staff and Volunteers Commit to:

As a staff member/volunteer of the Church, I promise to:

• Uphold, support and abide by the Safe Church Policy
• Respond to reasonable directions from the person with responsibility for the ministry I am involved in
• Communicate with integrity, including wise and accountable use of electronic communication, including in accordance with Guidelines for Activities with Children and Young People
• Not knowingly make false, misleading, or deceptive statements
• Not engage in bullying, harassment, emotional abuse, spiritual abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, of any person including my own family
• Not act violently or intentionally provoke violence
• Uphold confidentiality; not disclosing any confidential information without the consent of the person providing the information (the exception being where there is a legal obligation)
• Report concerns about misconduct and/or abuse according to the Church's Safe Church Policy and relevant procedures
• Disclose all relevant information as part of completing the Screening Check Questionnaire if I have not already done so
• Disclose to the Church Leadership if I am investigated for any criminal offences or have any knowledge of serious unlawful activity within the church context

Act with sexual purity, meaning I will:

• Express my sexuality in healthy and God directed ways
• Restrict sexual intimacy to the confines of the marriage relationship (where marriage has the same meaning as in the Marriage Rites of the Full Gospel Churches Australia — the union between a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life)
• If unwilling or unable to commit to this requirement, church leaders may choose to endorse me as a volunteer for non-leadership roles
• Recognise that it is inappropriate to access any type of pornographic material and, if I struggle with this, I will seek professional help
• Ensure that romantic interactions are meaningfully consensual
• Give consideration to any power imbalances in intimate relationships.

Act with financial integrity, including:

• Having accountable and transparent systems in place for financial matters
• Not seeking personal advantage or financial gain from our position (other than in wages, recognised allowances and deductions)

Additionally, I will:

• Not take or use property belonging to others without express consent, including intellectual property (copyright)
• Not use any prohibited substance and be responsible in my use of substances that may be addictive (e.g. prescriptions, alcohol)
• Avoid ongoing counselling of people with whom I have pastoral relationships; and
• Make alternative arrangements for pastoral ministry for any person with whom I may develop a romantic or intimate relationship.

Section 3

I Understand That if There Is a Complaint Against Me:

• If it is a plausible complaint relating to Child Sexual Abuse or Sexual Misconduct involving a child, the Church may ask me to step aside from my duties while the complaint is being considered; and/or
• If the complaint relates to serious misconduct and/or abuse (including Child Sexual Abuse) it will be reported to relevant government authorities in accordance with relevant legal requirements; and/or
• I agree to participate in any process initiated under the Procedure for Resolving Conflict, Procedure for Handling Complaints against Staff and Volunteers and/or Procedure for Responding to Child Protection Concerns, and agree to be bound by the outcomes of any such process, which may include termination of my employment/engagement as a staff member or volunteer with the Church.

Section 4

If I Am a Pastoral Staff Member, I:

• Agree to uphold and be bound by the Full Gospel Churches of Australia Code of Ethics and Conduct
• Understand that a breach of the Full Gospel Churches of Australia Code of Ethics and Conduct will be considered a breach of this Code of Conduct; and
• If I am an Accredited or Recognised Minister — agree to participate in, and be bound by the outcomes of, any process initiated under the Full Gospel Churches of Australia Procedures for Handling Allegations.