We believe that justice is central to God’s character. We see this truth in those passages that promise the Spirit’s anointing on the Messiah. He (the Spirit) is given to bring justice to the nations (Is 42:1). We recognise that God expresses his holiness in his justice (Is 5: 16). We believe that the Holy Spirit was given to the Church too to enable us to continue this work ‘till he (Jesus) establishes justice on earth’.

It is not surprising therefore, that doing justice is an integral component of Christian mission and worship. The Bible affirms that to shun injustice is a pre-requisite to be heard by God. Any form of worship offered by oppressive and exploitive persons or communities is repulsive to God. We also recognise that the Mission of the Spirit is to bring justice to the earth. The repeated emphasis on the anointing of the Spirit and doing justice in the relation to the Messiah is a clear affirmation that a key role of the Holy Spirit is to establish justice on earth. As people led by the same Spirit we are called to do justice.

We affirm therefore that doing justice – doing right in the eyes of the Lord - is a key indicator of true worship and authentic mission acceptable to God the father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We acknowledge the need for the church to be the prophetic voice on behalf of the poor, and to work in partnership with the oppressed and marginalized communities. The role of the church as a transforming agent in society must be further developed to fulfil its mandate of discipling and transforming nations. We need to deepen our Christian engagement by identifying and addressing the root causes and structural issues of poverty, and pursuing a model of community driven development. We can enhance our capacity, credibility and influence through active involvement in coalitions and networks of like-minded agencies and churches.

We realise that this process must start with individuals, families and churches modelling a lifestyle of justice, and helping to create an environment and culture where justice is done.

We confess that we have often failed to fulfil God’s requirements of justice and mercy in our own lives and ministries. There are times when we have not contributed our voice, nor stood beside others campaigning for social justice and basic rights at key moments.

Therefore in humility we make the following commitments.