Last year at Solas we hammered out a series of statements which are our ‘ministry values’. We think they are not only directly relevant to our work, but are rooted in the Bible and authoritative for our conduct. We make every effort to try and hold to these values in all that we do. Have a read, see what you think. These are the standards to which we aspire and try to uphold in all we do!
- Passion
To have a joy and an excitement about Jesus and the difference that he makes.
Sharing the gospel of Jesus is always more than a ‘job’, it is also a matter of the heart. Our aim is to maintain a relentless passion for Jesus and his gospel as the foundation for all that we do. In the New Testament, Paul wrote “It is the love of Christ that compels us” (2Cor5:14). In contrast the accusation levelled at the Ephesian church in Revelation is that they had ‘lost their first love’. At Solas, we want to be fuelled by a passion for Christ, his gospel and its wonderful transforming power. - Compassion
Having a deep concern for people, not just arguments.
Behind every question is a person and story. We seek to remember that while we seek to answer people’s questions, address their objections and confront ideas opposed to the gospel. We seek to emulate the compassion of Christ (Matt 9:36) and always use ‘gentleness and respect’ in our tone. (1Peter3:15) - Persuasiveness
Always engaging the head, heart and imagination
‘Apologetics’ has its place, (2 Pe 3:16) especially in clearing away the debris of worldy ideas so that people can see Jesus and all he claimed about himself clearly. We also want to speak with love and kindness to show Christ’s character, and to communicate creatively in order to grip the imagination.
- Church-focussed
Always working with local churches and other ministries
‘Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her’ it says in Ephesians 5. All our work is done at the invitation of the churches, in order to build the church up. We don’t do any meeting on our own, everything we do is done to serve local churches, denominations, and other ministries (such as Christian Unions). - Integrity
We are committed to truth and transparency
We make a point of being open about how we act, our govenance and trustees, how we raise and spend money and all our operations. We have our basis of faith on our website, which clearly outlines what we believe and stand for. Internally, we provide pastoral support for all our team, as well as robust whistleblowing and safeguarding proceedures. - Generosity
Always speaking as if a person on the other side of the debate were present
We work hard to avoid ‘straw – manning’ and mispresenting other people’s arguments and positions. A rule (from Keller) is to always speak or write as if your opponent were in the room, and we try to maintain that standard, because the gospel stands up to rigorous debate. - Inclusivity
We ensure that Solas represents and reflects the diversity of the evangelical family.
We have the privilege of working with any number of denominations, with all kinds of styles of worship and who have many different stances on secondary issues; but are united in the essentials of the gospel of Christ. We work hard to consistently engage with the whole spectrum of gospel churches, who want to share Christ and win people for him. - Prayer
We are committed to ensuring that prayer is part of the DNA of Solas
We pray together very regularly, as well praying on our own. We pray with our partner churches, and for them, we ask our supporters to pray for all our work, and offer to pray for our supporters and their needs too. Acts 4 says ‘the place where they were praying was shaken, they were filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the work of God boldly’. We aim to speak the word boldly in reliance on the power of the Spirit – and pray for that.So these are our ministry values. Please pray that we would live up to these commitments at all times as we seek to honour Christ in all we do. If you notice us living up to these standards, please encourage us. If you think we are not in any way, then equally let us know. Our desire is to aim high for Jesus, and constantly grow into his likeness.
