ICCSA Conducts First Assessment for Accreditation

On the 10-11th of March 2023, ICCSA conducted our first assessment using the diagnostic tool for accreditation with our registered member, Sinode AMIN in Gunungsitoli, Nias, North Sumatra. 

Sinode AMIN was established in 1946 and has a congregation of 26.100 souls spread across 4 provinces in Indonesia. 

The purpose of this assessment is to review together ICCSA’s 7 Principles of Accountable Stewardship and the prevailing standards that Sinode AMIN has fulfilled as well as discovering the areas for possible improvement and growth towards accreditation.

During the assessment with Sinode AMIN in Gunungsitoli, Nias, North Sumatra, Indonesia on 10th March 2023.

In the interview with Bishop Sarofati Gea, he shares why it is important to become a member of ICCSA in advancing transparency, accountability and trust. Read below to know more about his hopes and reflections. 

Why do you want to register Sinode AMIN as a member of ICCSA?

"As a Church, basically the Church must become a standard for how to work responsibly and meet accountability standards because the Church manages offerings from the congregation and also the blessings of those who are burdened in ministry. Therefore, the Church must make an organised administration, have a good system so that it can be trusted. And we have indeed done that, indeed there is already a Church Order document which is our guide. But we want to be convinced when registering at ICCSA whether what we are doing is correct or there are suggestions for what needs to be improved so that we can be sure that what we are doing is trustworthy, responsible, so that the ministry of the Church will be better."

What is your hope as a member of ICCSA?

"The first hope is that we will be more confident with the systems and mechanisms that we have created and of course get input, improvements on things that are still not good or need to be perfected. Then the second is that we will also want to experience how a culture of transparency becomes our culture as well and not only have it Synodically, but it becomes a culture in every congregation and AMIN Church. So, in meeting with various community institutions, surely we can learn to be a reference so that will motivate us. And the third thing is also because we still have limited resources as well as sources of funds. So we hope that through this community, it enables us to bridge with other community sources, people of faith who can entrust us with how to manage God's grace to reach the community, congregation, so that in this way we can be known and we can manage it properly in order for AMIN Church to become a channel of blessings for the congregation and society."

Reflection after having done assessment with ICCSA

"Our appreciation during the two days of this assessment for the first time was that we were able to tell what we had done and the orders we already had both in the Church Order and in the Church Bylaws, and later in the SOPs we made. But we reflect that there are still those orders that need to be fulfilled, there are still things we haven't thought of. So that will be our work in the future to be perfected. Even though there will be a process later because it is within the Church, when there will be procedures, they must be brought to the Assembly after it has been decided in the Assembly, then it can be carried out. Then secondly, of course, some of the documents that we already have, we are proud of both our predecessors and also what we have included in the regulations have met the standards, and of course we will just have to work on how to do it consistently so that the culture of transparency is not just owned in our lifetime but it will be carried on by the next generation."

After completing the assessment, ICCSA will be doing a gap analysis and give recommendation to Sinode AMIN on the next steps they could take to embark on the Affiliate Membership and to finally be Accredited. 

If you want to know more about ICCSA’s accreditation programme, please explore our ‘Membership Journey’ section on our website or feel free to contact us if you have any questions.