Fostering Ethical Culture in RCCGNA

This is a response to the commission by the Redeemed Christian Church of God North America (RCCGNA) Board of Trustees to institute a Department of Ethics and Morals in the office of the Chairman, Board of Coordinators. It is borne out of a need for all ministers to walk in the true Spirit of Christ, in love and fellowship, seeking the things that make for unity, purity, and peace while pursuing the vision and mission of the Redeemed Christian Church of God.

To be a minister is to respond to God’s call to fulfill His will and purpose. A call to ministry is the call to minister with God, not a call to minister for God. It is serving God and God’s purposes as a servant. A servant is a person at the disposal of another. So, a minister is at the disposal of God. Primarily, all Christians are called “to be with” in order “to be sent out” by the caller (Mark 3:14). every believer has the same calling in principle but are placed in different locations to influence the culture. The minister in this sense serves in the local church.

The church is a hospital for the sick, a gym for the healthy, a laboratory for testing out the new life in Christ and a school for the creation of new character.¹ How then does the minister walk through the tension of caring for the weak in the midst of the strong, new spiritual babes learning the ropes with matured ones who are cracking bones? As it is with every vocation, there is a need for a code of ethics. A Code of Ethics is more than dos and don’ts. We must remember that every calling entails a relationship with the caller (belonging to God), a way of life (being) and serving (God and His purposes).² A Code of Ethics is beyond rules and regulations.