Ethical Purity

On the corporate level, ethical purity is mandatory if we are to experience the full blessing of God. George Mueller of Bristol, England, a man known for his prayers of faith and his mighty influence on others, set forth seven statements of ethical commitment. How would modern Christian organizations fare under the light of these guidelines, as quoted by Catherine Marshall in Beyond Our Selves'

1. No funds would ever be solicited. No facts and figures concerning needs were to be revealed by the workers in the orphanage to anyone, except to God in prayer.

2. No debts would ever be incurred.

3. No money contributed for a specific purpose would ever be used for another purpose.

4. All accounts would be audited annually by professional auditors.

5. No ego-pandering by publication of donor’s names, with the amount of their gifts, would be allowed; each donor would be thanked privately.

6. No “names” of prominent or titled persons would be sought for the board or to advertise the institution.

7. The success of the institution would be measured not by the numbers served or by the amounts of money taken in, but by God’s blessing on the work, which Mueller expected to be in proportion to the time spent in prayer.

Leading the Way by Paul Borthwick, Navpress, 1989, p. 116

Resource

• Liberating Ministry From The Success Syndrome, K Hughes, Tyndale, 1988, pp. 144ff