Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64In terms of legal issues, in a recent informal poll of mission CEOs, 40 percent said that religious lib- erty/identity/freedom was their top legal concern. A related but more specific topic—sexual orienta- tion and gender issues—was cited by 80 percent of leaders (those responding could list more than one topic to answer the open-ended question). So religious identity is not simply a term legal experts are using. It’s a real concern, including among mission leaders. In the face of growing cultural confusion and fluidity about identity, a gospel rescue mission must think and act clearly about its own religious identity. Rescue missions have used their well-established religious identities to defend against discrimination claims and other legal challenges. Strengthening your mission’s religious identity is a powerful step you can take to maximize your legal defenses and better accom- plish your mission. WHAT IS RELIGIOUS IDENTITY? R eligious identity refers to your mission’s organization and on-going operation as a legal entity that is intentionally and expressly religious (in general) and Christian (in particular); established to accomplish certain purposes that are religious; and committed to certain core religious beliefs that guide and control what it does, how it does it, and why it does it. WHY DOES RELIGIOUS IDENTITY MATTER? Y our mission’s religious identity matters both practically and legally. It should be evident from both documents and practices that religious faith is at the heart of your mission’s purpose and services. Practically, understanding who you are, what you do, and why you do it enables your mission to more effectively accomplish its calling and serve its constituents and community. Legally, your mission’s religious identity is the indispensable foundation upon which most legal protections for its religious rights are built. Among these many important legal rights, the following stand out: • Proving religious freedom defenses. Strongly establishing that your mission is a religious organization enables it to better defend against a lawsuit or investigation by invoking your rights and defenses under the First Amendment, the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act (“RFRA”), and similar state constitutional provisions and laws. Proof of religious identity is necessary to demonstrate that your mission qualifies to assert a claim or defense under these legal protections for the free exercise of religion. And compelling 8 WWW.AGRM.ORG JULY/AUGUST 2016 Rescue missions have used their well-established religious identities to defend against discrimination claims and other legal challenges. Strengthening your mission’s religious identity is a powerful step you can take to maximize your legal defenses and better accomplish your mission.