Goal: Determine if the candidate meets Reliant's minimum standards of our Standards of Conduct and determine any areas that might need additional accountability or coaching within the local church setting.
The nice thing about this area of the process is that the pastor or ministry leader is most likely aware of anything that will come up prior to the candidate being interviewed. They would have reviewed and signed off that they had reviewed answers to questions relating to drugs, alcohol use, and sexual immorality, including pornography usage.
If you face an area where you are thinking a yellow or red flag is appropriate, it will be good and helpful to talk with a senior interviewer.
Statement on Biblical Foundations for Moral Conduct and Emotional Health
This portion of our assessment covers both areas of Christian moral (ethical) conduct and emotional health. These questions are rooted in our understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the Scriptures.
Titus 2.11
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.
Theological Foundations
We believe in the gospel and the reality of both sin and grace in the life of the believer.
Sin. That all humans were created good by a good God but are today affected by the Fall (Gen 1-3; Rom 3.23).
- Sin manifests as sinful word, thought, and deed
- We sin against ourselves, others, the created world, and God (Rom 8.19-25)
- We sin both in omission and commission (Jas 4.17; 1 Tim 5.24)
- We sin and are sinned against, experiencing the impact of a sinful world (John 9; Eph 6.12)
Gospel. We believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ that definitively has made, is making, and will make sin right (2 Cor 5)
- That salvation is not by the earned merit of human moral behavior but only by the grace of God through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Eph 2.8-9)
- The good news of the Kingdom of God that requires repentance and change (Matt 4.17).
For more, refer to the Reliant Statement of Faith
Ministry Positions and Moral Conduct
Regarding how we assess missionary candidates in areas of moral conduct, we affirm that:
- All Christians have a expected standard of moral conduct to avoid sin and pursue conformity to the image of Christ (Titus 2.11-14; Eph 5)
- Though all Christians are called to Christ-likeness, ministry or church leaders are held to a more scrutable standard because of their responsibility and influence (1 Tim 3; Titus 1; James 3.1; 1 Peter 5)
- Jesus Christ's life is both our singular example for how to live and, through his death and resurrection, provides to only source of power to do so (Rom 6)
- The Holy Spirit (by illuminating Christ) convicts and guides in the Christian life (Gal 5; Rom 8.2-4)
- Thoughts and behavior are linked (internal and external). We believe both matter, but we know that external conduct is most easily demonstrable and evaluated over heart motive (Matt 5)
- Both legalism—over-zealously appropriating universal moral standards that scripture does not—or license—over emphasizing the grace of God to the point that a Christian's moral action is of no consequence—have been historic mistakes of the church that we strive to avoid. (Col 2:20-23; Gal 4-5)
Ministry Positions and Emotional Health
- Spiritual and emotional health issues are not the identical, yet are linked (Matt 22.37)
- The state of a sinful world has resulted in brokenness (Rom 8.18-26)
- God desires spiritually and emotionally healthy missionaries and pastors (John 14.27; Phil 4.4ff; Heb 4.14-16; Prov 12.25; Ps 30.11)
- Emotional health issues can be debilitating for Christian leadership and witness (2 Tim 1.3-7)
- Please note: our assessors are not trained or licensed counselors and do not purport to be.
What Reliant Particularly Values
- Transparency, honesty, and integrity. We are much more likely to look favorably toward humble honesty than discover items left out or glossed over later. (James 5:15-16; Col 3.9)
- Care and grace. As sinners saved by grace ourselves, we have a long history and deep value of showing grace like Jesus did for the woman caught in adultery. We expect all our assessors and Reliant representatives to be sensitive, thoughtful, and grace-filled when discussing these sensitive areas. (John 8)
- Reaching agreement with local spiritual leaders in any areas of discussion that face the sometimes difficult work of applying the text to today (Acts 15)
- Recognition that the fundraising process can add specific life stress or trials that can compound or resurface previous patterns of sin or emotional unhealth; and should be approached with wisdom (James 1.2ff)
We may ask about (when applicable):
- Description of area of concern
- Repetitive nature of area of concern
- Recency of area of concern
- Steps taken to address area of concern
For better ease of use, we've divided the organization of this section to reflect specific topics rather than grouped together. Time frame: ask about lifetime, action based on 3 years IDEAL No record, or clear redemptive story from a record in distant past AREA OF CONCERN SIGNIFICANT CONCERN Time frame: ask about last 5 years; action within 3-5 years IDEAL AREA OF CONCERN SIGNIFICANT CONCERN Time frame: ask about last 3 years; action within 12 months IDEAL AREA OF CONCERN Any above within last 3 years but not last 12 months SIGNIFICANT CONCERN Any above within last 12 months Time frame: ask about last 3 years; action within in 1 or 3 years IDEAL AREA OF CONCERN SIGNIFICANT CONCERN Time frame: Last 3 years IDEAL AREA OF CONCERN (less than once a week) SIGNIFICANT CONCERN (once a week or more) Reliant's most commonly addressed area is in the area of pornography and erotic materials usage. This is especially true for young men but is not limited to them. We find older pastors, women, and others with significant struggles here. Our current standards are to recommend deferral for a candidate who shows a "pattern" of pornography in the last year (as defined by usage once per week or more). Of course, our prayer is that candidates are completely free of pornography. However, the saturation of our current culture (particularly with sexually explicit materials via the internet) has made this a challenge that many Christian ministries report struggling with. We seek to find a Biblical balance of clear recognition of sin yet strong grace in this area. In the pastoral/church interview, we make a special note of this issue and say to the pastor: Time frame: last 3 years AREA OF CONCERN SIGNIFICANT CONCERN Time frame: lifetime; 3 years AREA OF CONCERN SIGNIFICANT CONCERN AREA OF CONCERN SIGNIFICANT CONCERN Time frame: 3 years and 12 months AREA OF CONCERN SIGNIFICANT CONCERN Time frame: 3 years and 12 months We’re seeing more applicants letting us know they have a diagnosis of or struggle with anxiety. Currently there’s a gap in our application on what follow-up questions are needed to really assess these struggles. We recognize that. In the meantime, follow-up questions may be included in your Assessment Summary. Below are some guidelines used when assessing anxiety. Time frame: 3 years or 12 months We’re seeing more applicants responding “yes” to our question about recent suicidal thoughts. Currently there’s a gap in our application on what follow-up questions are needed to really assess these struggles. In the meantime, follow-up questions may be included in your interview. Below are some guidelines used when assessing suicidal ideations: AREA OF CONCERN SIGNIFICANT CONCERN Time frame: 3 years or 12 months FYI: People who may have a disorder in this area frequently lack insight into, or have considerable denial of, the problem and may be unreliable historians. It is often necessary to obtain information from parents or other outside sources to get a clear picture of the depth of the issue, frequency & patterns. Other questions that can be asked to help uncover the severity of an eating disorder: Do you feel the pressure to be superior or perfect in academics, athletics or how you look? Does your life often feel out of control? Or is your weight or appearance one of the few things in your life you can control? Do you use laxatives, diet pills of diuretics to lose weight? Do you ever feel guilty about eating? Do you count the calories hidden in every bite you eat? Do you feel society pressures to be thin or fit or look a certain way? Do you ever induce vomiting? Have you experienced any medical issues lately? (usually a range medical issues accompany an eating disorder) Do you often feel depressed or unhappy with yourself? How often do you exercise, and for how long? (calorie restriction with overexercise can be dangerous) Have you ever felt embarrassed or ashamed to tell someone the activities you do in order to maintain a particular weight or physical appearance? Have you recently weighed yourself? How do you feel about the number that appeared on the scale? *The more affirmative answers, the greater vulnerability. If there is evidence of a disorder, you can inquire how the church/ministry can come alongside in their healing process. AREA OF CONCERN SIGNIFICANT CONCERN Holmes-Rahe Stress Test is a standard in life-stress self-assessment based on significant life events and change. It's commonly used in pastoral counseling. It predicts the probability of becoming sick or depressed in response to life changes. IDEAL AREA OF CONCERN SIGNIFICANT CONCERN While we won't directly ask about every issue, other serious issues in moral conduct or emotional health may appear via open questions on the application. Interviewers may pursue issues at their discretion if they believe it's reasonable to do so based on other responses. Time frame: Lifetime, 3 year, 1 year. Generally issues are evaluated on a 3 year/1 year basis. Within 1 year is often a red flag issue, while something within 2-3 years is generally a yellow flag issue. For some areas with longer lasting impacts, it may be appropriate to ask about lifetime. Pattern or instance: some issues require patterns, others are issues at one "event" or episode. Patterns could indicate a greater likelihood to returning to the behavior under life stress such as MTD Generally speaking: IDEAL AREA OF CONCERN SIGNIFICANT CONCERNAreas of Concern Organized Differently
Criminal or Civil Record
Hate Groups
Alcohol Abuse and Intoxication
Concern
Illegal Drug Use
Pornography and Sexual Purity (individual)
Thought Life / Sexual Fantasy
Considerations / Follow-up questions:
Comments on Pornography
Sexual Immorality (with another)
Automatic Disqualification or Executive Exception RequiredMarriage, Family, Divorce
Self-injury
Depression
Anxiety
Suicide
Eating Disorder
Eating disorder informationLife Stress
Other issues
2 Comments
Julie Thomas
Jon Crawford, Jenni Saniuk - We are in the process of reviewing our Field Manual solomon pages for "missionary" language, and Kristina Lilly just looked at this one. However, before we update it, I want to ask if the content on this page still accurate and matches up with the new assessment process in Breezy?
Jon Crawford
Jenna Clemens- the other page mentioned by Julie in my last much longer comment.