Modesto Manifiesto

This is Interesting. I heard about it when I was listening to a Mars Hill sermon today, and wanted to read more about it, since it's relevant to me next year:

MODESTO MANIFESTO

In November, 1948, while Billy Graham was holding evangelistic meetings in Modesto, California, he met with Cliff Barrows, George Beverly Shea, and Grady Wilson to determine how they would conduct themselves and their meetings in order to be completely above reproach. The resulting "Modesto Manifesto," while not written down as a formal document, is the standard for accountability that the Team has followed ever since.

The following resolutions could be applied to the life and ministry of any Christian:

HONESTY
It was resolved that no communications to media and to the Church would be inflated or exaggerated. The size of crowds and number of inquirers would not be embellished for the sake of making the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association look better.

INTEGRITY
It was resolved that financial matters would be submitted to a board of directors for review and facilitation of expenditures. Every local Crusade would maintain a policy of "open books" and publish a record of where and how monies were spent.

PURITY
It was resolved that members of the Team would pay close attention to avoiding temptation-never being alone with another woman, remaining accountable to one another. Wives would be kept informed of activities on the road in order to help the wives feel a part of the Crusades.

HUMILITY
It was resolved that members of the Team were never to speak negatively of another Christian minister, regardless of his denominational affiliation or differing theological views and practices. The mission of evangelism included strengthening the Body of Christ as well as building it.


When I read this, I could immediately see the implications for myself. The MH sermon mentioned "SUDs," or, Seemingly Unimportant Decisions which are often justified but can build up into potentially harming incidents. SUDs are the beginnings of every affair, every scandal, every miscommunication where one or both people are not being completely transparent with each other for their own sakes.

Well, I got to thinking about it, and realized that I needed to write my own "Integrity Manifesto" for my life. I'm working on it right now, and while it's worded to apply to my relationship with Eric and my ministry as a Barnabas Team member next fall, I hope that its guidelines will follow me and hold me accountable throughout my life-- as a teacher or volunteer or any other kind of ministry that God brings me to. It might seem overrated, it might seem a bit much. But believe me, I'm one of those people who can justify almost any of those SUDs I run into, so I need this in order to make sure that Eric and I can maintain the healthy level of honesty we've been having.


After all, the Bible says to "...prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world..."
Philippians 2:14,15