Memorandum of Understanding

About Reliant

Reliant partners with missional churches and Gospel-centered ministries to mobilize support-based workers for the Great Commission. Reliant is a mission agency and serves as a hub between local churches and ministries, ministry workers, and generous donors who support the work.

Commitment to Service

Three key areas — Leadership, Funding, and Service — are necessary for the long-term health and effectiveness of ministry workers.

Reliant Staff Management Outline of Responsibilities

This outline serves as a written understanding of the respective responsibilities and expectations of Reliant and the Local Church or Ministry. Note that any reference to employees also includes associate staff, including pre-hires and volunteers.

Responsibilities of Reliant:

Meaningful Leadership

• Support the governance and ministry directives of the local church or ministry, including ministry philosophy, objectives, and practices that do not conflict with Reliant’s employment policies or with the law (e.g., unlawful discrimination/harassment, etc.).
• Create employment policies and procedures that foster a fair, safe, and healthy work environment.
• Lead investigation of reported misconduct or harassment involving a Reliant employee or volunteer.
• Provide regular training and education to Reliant employees on policies, procedures, and safe work practices, including, but not limited to, sexual harassment prevention and child protection. Offer related tools and resources to the local church or ministry.
• Build and maintain a thorough applicant assessment and screening process for new hires.

Abundantly Funded

• Train new employees in Ministry Team Development (MTD, i.e., fundraising), including biblical and theological foundations for support-raising and a comprehensive practical guide on how to give an in-person MTD presentation.
• Assign a support-raising coach to provide weekly MTD coaching during the initial support-raising process. This includes both individual (one-on-one) and group coaching calls every week. Reliant coaches will help set weekly goals and provide regular accountability for the staff member.
• Create and regularly improve internal technology to produce accurate and real-time reporting of MTD numbers for employees, supervisors, and coaches during the support-raising process.

Faithful Service

• Provide accurate and timely gift-processing services and full payroll administration for employees.
• Institute a fair, equitable, and relevant total rewards strategy for employees (compensation, insurance, family leave, retirement, and other benefits).
• Maintain appropriate corporate insurance policies, including workers’ compensation.
• Provide real-time donor support through a “Gift Services Hotline” and email address, monthly giving statements posted online in the donor’s giving portal, and end-of-year donor statements.
• Respond promptly to any questions or concerns raised by employees or partner churches and ministries. Be both proactive and responsive when needed according to Reliant’s responsibilities as the employer.
• Support local leadership in all employee life cycle elements: hiring, onboarding, development, promotion, and exiting.
• Partner with supervisors to ensure the appropriate and fair administration of employee performance management activities, including performance evaluations and corrective action.
• Provide reporting channels (including an anonymous option) and whistleblower protection for employees to report abuse, misconduct, or discrimination/harassment in the workplace.
• Remain compliant with applicable local, state, and federal employment laws and regulations.

Responsibilities of Local Church or Ministry Supervisor:

Meaningful Leadership

• Provide the day-to-day management and supervision of the Reliant employee.
• Support and uphold Reliant’s policies and processes to provide a healthy work environment for the Reliant employee.
• Concur with and support Reliant’s Code of Conduct and Statement of Faith.
• Review, on an annual basis, Reliant’s policies on workplace discrimination/harassment, suspected misconduct/fraud and whistleblower protections, and grievances.
• Inform the Reliant employee of any policies or standards of conduct (other than those contained in the Reliant Field Manual) that will apply to the Reliant employee while working with the local church/ministry.
• Coordinate with Reliant in all employee life cycle elements: hiring, onboarding, development, promotion, and offboarding.
• Provide an accurate written job description to the Reliant Program Team, and update as needed.
• Partner with Reliant to ensure the appropriate and fair administration of employee performance management activities, including corrective action and routine performance evaluations.
• Notify Reliant promptly when any significant employment issues, questions, or concerns become known. This includes performance issues, reports of discrimination/harassment, safety issues, emergencies, or changes in the employment situation.
• Cooperate fully with any investigation of workplace misconduct involving a Reliant employee or volunteer.
• Remain compliant with applicable local, state, and federal employment laws and regulations. Consult with Reliant on these items as needed.
• Maintain, and disseminate to the Reliant employee, local church/ministry sexual harassment and child protection policies and make those available to Reliant upon request.

Abundantly Funded

• Make the time and resources available to ensure healthy funding for the employee, including, but not limited to, the following:
  • Support the Reliant employee by permitting time to focus full-time on Ministry Team Development (MTD) fundraising before being released to assignment (unless a prior arrangement has been discussed and agreed to by Reliant). Also, support of the employee’s participation in Reliant’s training events, per Reliant policy.
  • Provide the Reliant employee ongoing time each month (after “release to assignment”) to focus on sustaining MTD; this includes maintaining donor relationships and building the partner (donor) team to ensure continued healthy funding.
  • Provide extended MTD time for the Reliant employee as needed when funding levels fall below minimum standards.

Faithful Service

• Support the Reliant employee’s career development, give fair access to promotional opportunities, and provide opportunities for growth.
• Respond promptly to requests for approval as needed by the Reliant employee or Reliant Central office.
• Per Reliant policies, maintain the confidentiality of all confidential information provided by Reliant, including personnel information related to any Reliant employee or applicant.
• Carry applicable corporate liability insurance.
• Work with Reliant to ensure the appropriate and fair administration of employee performance management activities, including corrective action and employee discipline.

Approval

If any conditions stated above change for Reliant or the Local Church or Ministry, both have an ongoing obligation to inform the other party promptly.

This memorandum is not intended to and does not create any contractual rights between these parties.

Reliant and the Local Church or Ministry have caused this Memorandum of Understanding to be executed by their duly authorized representatives. By signing this Memorandum of Understanding, Reliant and the Local Church or Ministry signify that each understands and will comply with the conditions stated above.