“TOGETHER FOR MISSION” Association Mission Philosophy (By-laws)

Who Are We?

We are an association that offers a platform for promotion, characterized by Biblical values and that has a collective and individual objective helping to meet the goals of the statute. 

Our Values: a Biblical mentality, sharing the Gospel, church planting and partnership

Purpose and vision of the association

Our Purpose: Sharing the Gospel at a local, global and virtual level 

Our Vision: A community of missionaries that shares the Gospel of Christ locally, globally and virtually.  

Mission – What do we do? 

We offer an organizational identity and platform for promotion to the missionaries of our association. 

BYLAWS 

• The Principal of Empowerment: The Board or the board members can empower others to fulfill certain tasks, as long as both parties agree to do so. 
• Financial Transparency: Every missionary is obligated to offer financial accountability for the mission projects they administrate. This is done: 
  • Before the donor, at their request. 
  • Before the Board, at their request, in the condition that the Board requests proof of the money spent within 60 days of the initial purchase. After 60 days, the request has no basis. In the case that there are no receipts, handwritten receipts (assuming personal responsibility) are allowed.
  • We mention that personal funds do not need to be justified
  • Money spent by the association’s board members from the administrative funds for the general interests of the association, will be an object of declaration in plenary in the setting of the annual General Assembly.
• The Principle of Autonomy.  The association does not impose on its members their activities or work agenda, likewise whoever develops the project does not represent the association.
• The Principle of Recruiting Members of The Association: Recruiting is done by the Board through a written request by any person who fulfills paragraph “I.”
• The Principle of Reciprocity. This principle applies to relationships with partners, but also relationships with association members. Each one has the freedom to give, but also in the same way, to receive what others give them.
• The Principle of Confidentiality. Association members are not obligated to share how much personal money they receive, and the Board Director must not make sponsorship statements public.
• The Principle of Assumption. Members of the association will pay for the services the association makes available for them by paying a monthly fee. (ex. media, financial secretary, office, secretary, a good name, etc)
• The Principle of Partnership. The association or its board, does not intermediate partnerships with its members, but facilitates them. Every member is responsible for recruiting his/her partners.
• The Principle of Promotion.  Every member is responsible to understand the will of God regarding the promoted project. After understanding God’s will, the project’s needs are exposed to potential partners. Every association member is expected to fulfill the project’s needs, correlating with how much God puts on the partners’ hearts to be involved. 
  • Expose not impose. The association members commit to always and wherever in the process of promotion to not pressure others in the presentation of their needs or the project’s needs. The presentation should be relaxed, exposing the projects and needs, allowing the Holy Spirit to work on the person’s heart and allowing for him/her to decide if he/she wants to be involved or not. THESE TYPES OF FORMULATIONS ARE NOT ALLOWED: “Also give me x money,” “help me, because otherwise I am lost…” “If you give me this much, then I can do this and that,” “Help me, please, because then I can escape from this trial,” etc.
• The Principle of Evaluation. Annually every association member will attest to the missionary’s quality through an annual recommendation from the local church. The recommendation should be signed by a local servant (pastor or presbyter) and another member of the committee. 

Strategy – How do we do this?  

• We offer a legal, organizational and relational framework through the development of partnership:  

1. Platform of promotion
2. Possibility to be financially transparent 
3. Offer the possibility to create partnerships
4. Offer recognition to the identity of the missionary (“brand”)
5. Offer  ”a good name” 

 The strategy in which we fulfill our mission is represented by assuring the implementation of the 3P’s: 

Projects -We offer the missionaries a framework, in which they can initiate and develop relevant projects that meet the spiritual and physical needs of the people in our ministry area, which also agree with our values and vision.
Partners – We establish a platform of credibility, in which the missionaries can initiate partnerships with churches, organizations or people everywhere that share our values and purpose. The responsibility of initiating partnerships is exclusively the liability of the association members. 

People (workers, missionaries, pastors) – we recruit and promote the missionary and pastor’s service (those who are members of the association or collaborators of these people).   

PROJECTS: 

• The association facilitates the promotion of the missionaries’ projects. 
• Members of the association initiate and develop relevant projects that help meet the spiritual and physical needs of the people in our ministry area, which are also in agreement with our common values and vision.  

Personal missionary projects are promoted by the missionary and their ambassadors.  

PARTNERS OF THE ASSOCIATION MEMBERS AND THE ASSOCIATION PARTNERS

The partners benefit from a financial report and the report of the missionary’s activities. The Board asks the missionaries to communicate their ministry activities via the website or through email at least quarterly, proving the way that the donations were used for the project.  

The partners offer physical and material resources, prayer, encouragement, short-term ministry and donations. 

1) Partnership (5 forms): 

1. Prayer: 5 minutes/day or 5 minutes/week
2. Promotion: promoting a project, missionary or church once/month
3. Ambassadors – these are those who represent the association (recruited by the board) or missionary (recruited by the missionary)
4. Encouragement: regular meetings via video call
5. Short-Term Ministry: visit to the mission field
6. Monthly or Occasional Financial Support: Missionary’s family or project

2) Partners (three types)

– Types of partnership

1. One project – one time
2. Repetition of one or several projects 
3. Relationships: -adoption of a missionary

                       -adoption of a mission point

PEOPLE (1 Timothy 3) Association Members

Formation of the Association Members:

1.  Personal testimony of how God was revealed to him/her and how he/she understood his/her calling to ministry. (Calling = desire to serve)
2. A recommendation from the church should contain the following:  

• character– person with a good reputation, confirmed by a local church
• calling – “If anyone longs to be a bishop, he desires a good thing” 
• skills : 
  • Ability to communicate the content on the Gospel revelantly (Acts 13 and 17) and with authority (Romans 116)
  • Ability to lead 

Recruitment of the association members has 3 stages: 

1. Knowing and Exposing – interview with one of the board members or with someone the board delegates.
2. Confirmation (Recommendation from a local church)
3. Integration (cultural and language based on the context of the ministry, job description) if it is talking about a foreign missionary.

Criteria of accepting members into the association 

• Expression of desire to be a member through submitting an application of membership (Annex 1) 

2. Recommendation from a local church (Annex 2) 
3. To know the association statute and bylaws. 
4. To have proof of their missionary activities following the model of the job description and reporting this to the local church. (Annex 3) 

Rights and responsibilities of the association members 

• The association members have the following rights:

1. To choose to be selected for the leadership board of the association 
2. To have proposals in the General Assembly regarding all the problems and activities of the association (here it should be clarified: under what condition, the criteria on the basis of which member may submit a complaint/suggestion. )
3. To participate in the activities and actions of the association 
4. To make suggestions and proposals to the association’s Board Director regarding improvement of the activities (again, the frequency of improvement in the association should be clarified.) 
5. To request a reasonable inclusion to some problems in the order of the day of the General Assembly
6. To recommend the receival of new members into the association.

• Association Members have the following obligations:

1. To respect the provisions of the statute and the decisions of the managing bodies (General Assembly and the Directing Board) 
2. To work towards the growth of the esteem of the association
3. To commit the activities provided for in the statute, in order to reach the objectives and purpose of the association. This initiation of activities should be in line with the skills and resources available. 
4. To not commit actions that, by their nature, may harm the interests of the association. 
5. To participate in the organized meetings by the Directing Board at least once a year. 
6. To pay the approved fee from the budget of income and expenses.

SELECTION CRITERIA FOR MEMBERS IN THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS 

They will be put to vote under the following criteria: 

• Proposal of the person to be at the petition of two members of the association.   

1.  To prove economic stability as to not present a financial interest (To prove that they pay taxes)
2. Dedication of time for the association’s interests of the association. President: minimum of 12 hours/month, Vice President and Secretary: 8 hours/month, members in the board: minimum of 6 hours/month. 
3. To not have any first-degree blood relationships with those in the Board of Directors.

Decisional Process of the Board

1. Identification and Problem Formulation
   1. Clarifying Questions
   2. Observations
2. The direction of formulating  possible solutions 
3. Criteria for deciding on a solution
   1. As close as possible to the model, having a Biblical standard 
   2. To help reach the association’s purpose 
   3. From two bads, choose the option less bad.(with the least damage).
   4. Embodiment of the association’s values
   5. The majority decides. In cases where there are two or more Biblical solutions, it will be decided upon through an open vote. . 
4. Announcing and clarifying the decision.
5. Implementation and evaluation of the decision through its results. 

Conflict Resolution

Everything that is written below is a proposal and with this, you have the freedom to change or erase it.  

1. Causes of conflicts 

1. People are different regarding: 

• The perspective on leadership 
• Temperament and the leadership style (goal-oriented at the expense of relationships) 
• Work philosophy (bylaws)  
• Maturity

1. Absence of Communication 
2. Change in Time: 
3. Not Knowing: 

• Their place and role in the team  
• Unity in diversity “Take the man out of his comfort zone, but never from his zone of competence and talents!”

1. People are sinful: 

• Hidden agenda/split loyalty  
• Fight for power 
• Selfishness and pride 
• Greed
• Fear  

1. Fear of: 

• Responsibilities 
• Consequences  

1. Administration of material resources

      2)  Steps in the reconciliation process 

1. To start with a correct perspective towards the conflict a

• Tension is a part of working in a team, it may be talk about a missionary’s work, pastoral care, etc  
• Conflict can be used in a constructive way 
• The approach shouldn’t always be guided by a Christian perspective

1. Make prayer an integrated part of the process 
2. Manage conflict to be at the lowest level possible 

• The sooner, the better 

1. Gather precise and useful information regarding problems due to conflict 

• Ask probing questions to all the parties involved in conflict b

• Meticulously investigate all of the accusations (Proverbs 18.17) 

• Strive to get a common description of the problem

1. To keep everyone focused on the problem of the conflict. Seek everyone’s agreement on the base rules during the meeting 
2. Identify the ways out of conflicts – Reconciliation  

• Identify if one of the parties involved is in a state of denying the conflict, because the following action will be to run away from the relationship and will end in suicide. It is necessary to prevent this course of action.
• Identify if one of the parties involved is in a state of attack, because litigation follows and ends in murder. It is necessary to prevent this course of action.  
• Identify if it is possible for reconciliation between the two involved parties by overlooking the situation, reconciliation follows confession and correction in love and negotiation
• Identify if it is possible for reconciliation to take place through the help of a mediatory, arbitrator or accountability to the other members of the association with the possibility of losing the membership 

1. Recognition that you made a mistake

Steps: 

• Identify the exact sin and assume the responsibility (Psalm 51:3-4b)
• Confess to all affected by your action 
• Show that you regret and that you are sorry for what you have done 
• Be willing to accept the consequences  

1. To use your sphere of leadership with wisdom

• Maintain people’s trust in you  
• Do not force an agreement 
• Be aware of what you say 
• Do not aggravate the problem, indifferent of what you do 

1. Be constient that not every conflict will be resolved – at least not immediately 

Why?  

• It takes us time to allow the Holy Spirit to work in us 
• We invest too much in conflict, therefore we give up to them 
• We are bitter towards others, so we justify our failures 
• Ex.: Paul and Barnabas 

1. Monitor and evaluate the progress of the reconciliation.