That would be a strong and positive witness in a cynical world. It would show our society that they can trust us to serve those who need us most in the name of the God whom we honour most.
Integrity
I have a screen message that comes on my mobile phone every time I turn it on – it is this: INTEGRITY ALWAYS MATTERS. Jesus told his followers, in the Sermon on the Mount that they were to let their Yes be Yes.
We must do the same. By working with the Charity Commission we show that the credibility gap is something we want to get rid of. We do not see people as pew fodder, but precious and made in his image. We do not see inspection as something to be feared, but as something to be welcomed. We want our walk and our talk to match.
Integrity means that we will be transparent.
Submission
The last key area that I would suggest is an opportunity for us is the area of submission. We display a heart and an attitude of Christ in working with the Charity Commission. But this is where we set a caveat. We submit to the Charity Commission because we have already submitted to Christ. He is our final authority. He is our final judge. We submit to the Charity Commission in so much as we see no fear or worry in doing so. We are honest stewards, willing to be accountable as a witness and to act with integrity because of our Lordship. That Lordship lies with Christ. He is our head. It is Him we honour first. Romans 13 calls us to submit to our governments, and we joyfully and willingly do so. But we will not do so and at the same time dishonour the name of the Lord who has called and redeemed us. We submit to others because we have submitted to Him.
Those five key areas:
- Stewardship
- Accountability
- Witness
- Integrity
- Submission
All serve as a strong opportunity to show that we can and will work in partnership. They show our intentions as wholesome and our motivation as good. But here is where we must lay a challenge at the feet of both the church and the charity commission.
Dangers to avoid
There are dangers to avoid. Let me lay before you one for the Charity Commission and one for the Church.
Charity Commission - one size does not fit all
The Charity Commission must not take the engine from the church and from Christian charities. We do what we do in the name of Christ. He is the engine for our work because He is the focus of our faith. The CC must not try to strip us of that engine by trying to force us to remove our loyalty to him. We are not simply an anthropomorphic group. We will not brow beat people into believing in God. We will not stop serving anyone. But we will not apologise for our faith. We will not put God in a box and pretend that he does not matter to us – He is the reason that we do what we do.
Please remember that.
And remember also that the church is a diverse organism. What works for one group will not work for another. You would not treat all businesses as the same, so do not treat all Christian charities and churches as the same. Recognise that we are diverse in our ethos, our governance, our motivation, our ecclesiology and our commitment. All these spring from the same source, but they vary in nuance and interpretation.
