CORE VALUES – the same, but different

BY TIM ALLAN, SIM INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR

For most of this year, a small team has been looking at SIM’s Core Values and working out how we can make them more memorable.

Under our governing articles, we are supposed to re-examine our Core Values every decade and this is the first time we have done it since 2006, so it was long overdue.

The Board and the International Leadership Team realised from the start that our Core Values do not need to change. They lie at the heart of what binds us together and are held very dearly by many of us.

But what we also realised is that very few of us can bring all 10 Core Values to mind when we’re put on the spot and asked what they are!

So the central challenge of the Review Team was to come up with a new way of expressing our Core Values which would be more memorable.

We want these values to underpin everything we do; we want to see them referred to often, not just in orientation meetings for new workers; we want to see them used as starting points for discussions in meetings.

We believe it is important that all our workers - be they members, associates, trustees or staff - know our Core Values and feel inspired by them.

We very much hope that what we have arrived at helps us all do exactly that. Those of us who read and understand English, have been calling this summary ‘Three Ds and Three Cs’ – the graphic alongside demonstrates why we came up with that!

We recognise that title will not work in all languages, although it does in some! However, we hope that this new way of summarising our Core Values is short enough to be memorable in for everyone, no matter what your first language is.

You should have received an email with this Core Value summary, with translations in French, Spanish and Portuguese. It was emailed to the whole of SIM in early November.

Because the summary is much shorter than the 10 Core Values, some people may feel that we have lost something. That is not the intention, the summary is intimately linked to the 10, and is just that - a summary, to make the 10 more accessible and memorable. If you prefer using the full 10 Core Values, you are very welcome to do so.

However, we hope you will find much to celebrate in this new summary.

We pray you will enjoy learning the Three Ds and Three Cs and living out our values in your daily relationships with others.

3 Ds:

Dependent on God – We are people of prayer. We trust in our faithful God and affirm the truth of the Bible.

Diverse – We are one in Christ. We embrace, and are strengthened by, the international, interdenominational and multi-ethnic diversity of His church.

Disciples who make disciples - We cross barriers to fulfil God's global, urgent and unfinished mission.

3 Cs:

Church-centred – We are part of Christ’s church and together we plant, nurture and equip churches.

Compassionate – We are people of love. We humbly offer compassionate, holistic service and eternal hope, through the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Community – We live a life of integrity in obedience to God and in relationship with each other as we listen, learn, grow, and innovate together under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

WE ARE GOD-DEPENDENT, DIVERSE, DISCIPLES OF JESUS IN A CHURCH-CENTRED AND COMPASSIONATE COMMUNITY.

SIM’S 10 CORE VALUES

COMMITTED TO BIBLICAL TRUTH

We are committed to biblical truth and joyfully affirm historic, evangelical Christianity. With courage, we declare to the nations the good news of new life in Jesus Christ.

DEPENDENT ON GOD

‘By Prayer’ and in faith we depend on God for the provision of all our needs. We will demonstrate diligence, integrity, sharing, and accountability in cultivating and using the resources God provides.

A PEOPLE OF PRAYER

Prayer is foundational in our life and ministry. ‘By Prayer’ we praise God, seek his direction, request resources, and call upon the Holy Spirit to empower our ministries.

MISSION FOCUSED

We are committed to the urgent and unfinished task of making disciples of Jesus Christ in all nations. We desire to work in loving, trusting, interdependent relationships with churches and other partners who share our vision.

CHURCH CENTRED

We are committed to being a mission that begins, nurtures, and equips churches to be the expression of Christ in their communities and to reach out with cross-cultural missionary vision and action.

CONCERNED ABOUT HUMAN NEEDS

We humbly acknowledge that the ultimate human need is to know God. We also believe that he has called us to compassionate, holistic service in this broken world by alleviating suffering, fostering development, and effecting change in society.

A CHRISTLIKE COMMUNITY

We desire to be a transforming community dedicated to becoming like Christ in love, servanthood, holiness, and obedience to the Father. We believe following Christ’s example means sacrifice, sometimes hardship, and perhaps even death.

A LEARNING, GROWING COMMUNITY

We believe in the worth and giftedness of each person in SIM and of those we seek to serve. We practise the giving and receiving of discipleship, life-long learning, consultative leadership, mutual development, and training as enduring disciplines.

STRENGTHENED THROUGH DIVERSITY

We are intentionally interdenominational, international and multi-ethnic because we believe this expresses the unity of the body of Christ in the world. We believe we will be more effective in ministry as we incorporate the richness of cultural diversity in SIM and celebrate our oneness in Christ.

RESPONSIVE TO OUR TIMES

We will respond with creativity and courage to evolving needs and opportunities under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. To be effective and relevant, our ministries, priorities, and structures are subject to on-going evaluation and adaptation.

Core Values in French

Core Values in Spanish

Core Values in Portuguese