The General Commission on the Status and Role of Women is mandated to convene the work of the Interagency Sexual Ethics Task Force (IASETF) for The United Methodist Church. The IASETF provides leadership and support for Do No Harm sexual ethics summits and the development of the UMSEXUALETHICS.ORG website. This work has focused on prevention of and response to sexual misconduct within The United Methodist Church.
Most recently, the IASETF has completed the following Code of Conduct for our denomination. Promoting civility, integrity, and respect and grounded in scripture and using seven guiding principles, the Code of Conduct will be a resource reflecting a basic ethical commitment shared by all persons working, worshipping, or visiting a United Methodist Church.
We encourage you to download a pdf version of the United Methodist Code of Conduct and share it within your congregation.
We also encourage you to listen to audio files of a 13 series IASETF Devotions and download a pdf of version to use in your ministry context.
A United Methodist Code of Conduct
Desiring to live in peace with God and peace with others, we seek to conduct our relationship with the value of:
LOVE: God is love. If we love one another, God lives in us, and God’s love is made complete in us. (1 John 4:12)
DIGNITY: Every person is to be treated with dignity as persons made in the image of God. (Genesis 1:26)
RESPECT: Every person is due to be treated with respect as we seek to treat others and we desire to be treated (Matthew 7:12)
INTEGRITY: We know that when our hearts are tested God is pleased with integrity (1 Chronicles 29:17)
KINDNESS: We are to be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God has forgiven us (Ephesians 4:32)
JUSTICE: We know that we are required to act justly, love mercy and to walk humbly (Micah 6:8)
ACCOUTABILITY: We are called to hold each other accountable, submitting to each other in love. (Ephesians 5:21)
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The Interagency Sexual Ethics Task Force is convened by GCSRW to promote and coordinate ministries in sexual ethics across the UMC. The Task Force is mandated “to address the areas of prevention, education, intervention, and healing” regarding sexual misconduct within ministerial relationships and “to ensure that resources for laity and clergy in ministerial roles and identified and promoted for use in conferences, districts or cluster, and local congregations” (The Book of Resolutions 2016, p. 780). Read our mandate and history.
Contact: info@gcsrw.org
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