The ethos of Wirral Youth for Christ (Youth for Christ) emerges from the Youth for Christ Statement of Faith and from a desire and motivation to express God’s love to those outside the organisation and to reflect this love internally in our relationships with one another. We express God’s love to those outside Youth for Christ by obeying Christ’s mandate in Mathew 28:18-20 and Acts 1:8. These mandates were given by Jesus to his disciples and from these we take our mission.
And Jesus came and said to them “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” Acts 1:8
The motivation of most of those who work in Youth for Christ comes from and flows out of the context of Christian faith and is seen as an expression of that faith. See also the Youth for Christ Statement of Faith.
The Christian Faith
* States that God is the sole creator
* Determines that each individual is uniquely made in the image of God although is also fallen.
* Declares that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who came to save humankind from sin
* Provides for a relationship with the living God in the person of Jesus Christ that defines what being a Christian means
* Equips the Christian to live life through the power of the Holy Spirit and grow in holiness.
The Christian Expression of Faith
* Honours, obeys and glorifies God, acknowledging God’s sovereignty
* Nourishes the spiritual life and is fully committed to developing it
* Believes that no one is beyond the redeeming love of the Saviour, Jesus Christ and this love reaches out to people of all nations, cultures and ethnicities.
* Knows God through the person of Jesus and seeks to follow his way of life, modelling love, justice, peace and forgiveness in attitudes and behaviours
* Embraces the power of the Holy Spirit as the source of strength for living
As we see in Colossians chapter 3 the Christians’ motivation to express the love of Christ in his/her life affects not just the nature of the work he/she is involved in but in the way he/she behaves and relates to others. This should lead to a vocational and relational lifestyle characterised and driven by faith in God, touching the lives of others through the work of the Holy Spirit.
The motivation for our mission comes from Christ’s love compelling believers (2 Cor.5:14) and is therefore rooted in our faith in Christ. This faith produces a distinctive heart attitude of love, which expresses and is characterised by the following values and behaviour.
Core Values
Dignity Every individual, group or community is created unique and bears the imprint of God. Therefore all relationships within and outside YFC should be characterised by love, compassion and wholehearted respect for the individual, group or community.
Empowerment Increasing the capacity of individuals and groups to make choices and to transform those choices into positive actions and outcomes. Increasing the spiritual, political, social or economic growth of individuals and communities. Offering opportunities for experience and participation which leads to learning and growth for young people, volunteers, trustees, staff members and linked partners.
Partnership Actively seeking positive opportunity for partnership with other bodies, forming trusting relationships that fulfil agreed upon expectations by sharing complementary strengths and resources to reach our mutual goals.
Innovation Continually pioneering new ways of fulfilling our mission, being prepared to experiment with the new and different as we operate and minister, ensuring a fresh and creative approach to reaching young people relevantly. Meeting the needs of young people and presenting opportunities for exploration of the gospel message.
Core Behaviours
Inclusivity Facilitating a sense of belonging to the corporate whole.
Integrity YFC and individual staff would be true to our values in how we operate internally as well as externally. The values which we promote for ourselves as YFC should be matched by those which we practice when relating to others.
These values and behaviours are intrinsically linked to the success and fulfilment of our mission. Therefore, the attitude and motivation of our staff and the way our mission is achieved are as important as the mission itself. (John13:34, Matthew 22:36, 1Corinthians 13:1&2)
As this attitude and motivation come only from a relationship with Christ, it becomes an occupational requirement that many of our staff are committed Christians who assent to our statement of faith. Roles that have significant leadership or representational responsibilities, or that are central to fulfilling our aims and purposes or developing and maintaining our Christian ethos, will always be held by committed evangelical Christians.
There are other roles that have key spiritual elements to them, that can only be carried out by those who are committed to a living faith in God.
There are some posts which do not require someone to have an expressed Christian commitment, but it is expected that every member of staff will respect and uphold all areas expressed in this policy.
Wirral Youth for Christ recognise that it is essential that these attitudes and behaviours continue in Youth for Christ and mark our work. We expect our staff to act in good faith and with loyalty to that relational ethos.
Notwithstanding this, Youth for Christ is committed to diversity amongst its staff and volunteers and will not discriminate on grounds that are unrelated to our ethos.