Faith Based

Memorandum of Understanding 

(All businesses advertising are signatories to the Memorandum of Understanding)

Glossary

The Christian Phonebook:  The Christian Phonebook has been created as a way to connect consumers with business people of faith who are trustworthy and client-focused.

Peter and Paul’s Mission Ltd:Peter and Paul’s Mission are Christian campaigners.  Through your membership of Peter and Paul’s Mission, your Christian voice can be heard and counted.  By yourself, you can change nothing, but when you combine your voice to the fifteen million Christians in Australia, you can make a real difference.

Christian Business Chamber (CBC):  The CBC represents and promotes the area’s Christian business economy.  It encourages business and industrial investment.  The mission statement for the CBC is “Our businesses are a gift from God; Let’s work to give back to The Kingdom of God”.

Building loyalty to the Mission is extremely important, and the constitution of the Mission has a whole committee devoted to it.  This makes sure that what the Peter and Paul’s Mission put together, stays together.

The workload of planning a social calendar needed to foster fraternal bonds is also fairly shared between all members to ensure nobody suffers burn out from constantly planning events that always seem to get bigger with each event.

Independent Team Member:  The Independent Team Member is an advocate for the community when a member of the community has a complaint about the Mission or a company associated with the Mission or unfair dealings by companies connected to the Mission.  The Independent Team Member has the authority to suspend companies from the Phone Directory for a probationary period or indefinitely with presidential assent that may bring the Mission into disrepute.

Trade Commissioner:  Trade Commissioners are industry experts in their field.  They are familiar with all licensing and insurance requirements as well as qualifications for professional conduct for the industry that they are responsible for. They support the Independent Team Member and advertisers in their role of trade coordinators, organising events such as trade shows and introducing customers to advertisers.  Trade Commissioners also organise trade breakfasts and help to coordinate the CBC.

Watchman:  Is the chief security officer of the Mission.  The Watchman has the authority to sit in any meeting throughout the entire Mission and the constitution empowers the Watchman a vote in any meeting at which they are present.

Mission Watch:   The council of advisors to the President of Peter and Paul’s Mission who are the internal affairs body and policy making body of the Mission.

Phone Directory Committee:  Leadership Team members empowered by the President or Vice President to make policy recommendations to the Leadership Team executive once approved by the Leadership Team General Members Chamber they become enforceable as new rules or bylaws for the Christian Phone Book.

Objective

The Christian Phonebook (TCPB) is determined to achieve the highest standards of ethical trading throughout its membership. Peter and Paul’s Mission Ltd (The Mission), the owner of the Christian Phonebook, requires agreement of the Memorandum of Understanding from all those involved in advertising in The Christian Phonebook (directory) or members of the Christian Business Chamber (CBC) or both.

Agreement is achieved between all parties when the advertiser or member of the CBC becomes a signatory of the Memorandum of Understanding.

Peter and Paul’s Mission Ltd (the Mission) recognises that within our directory and Chamber there are many different national cultures with their own norms and traditions which the mission respects. Some advertisers or members of the Chamber will therefore face more complex issues than others in implementing the Memorandum of Understanding. The Mission is committed to working with all advertisers or members of the CBC to help them meet their responsibilities under the Memorandum of Understanding. The Mission believes that by working together with all advertisers, members of the CBC and employees, we can strengthen our businesses and improve the quality of life for advertisers and CBC members, as well as consumers who come under the influence of the Mission.

The Memorandum of Understanding exists for the purposes of promoting safe and fair trading conditions and the responsible management of the Christian community’s reputation. The Memorandum of Understanding recognises that as custodians of His word, advertisers, traders, members of the CBC, as well as consumers, need to show due care and a reflection of God’s righteous standards to the secular world.

Definitions

All references apply to all traders, all advertisers, members of the CBC, subcontractors, employees, Missionaries, volunteers, committees, covering finished goods, vendors, suppliers and manufacturers. The Mission will assist in the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding in businesses which may include audits and site visits to assess performance against the Memorandum of Understanding. The cost of any audit or site visit will be met by the Mission.

For the purpose of assessing compliance of the Memorandum of Understanding, the advertiser or member of the CBC will allow authorised representatives of the Mission, its agents or professional advisers to be given unaccompanied access without notice to their businesses and to employees of those businesses. The Mission’s authorised representatives, agents or professional advisers must also be given unaccompanied access to consumers files, once authorised by that consumer in writing and the Mission provides such evidence to the advertiser or member of the CBC. Advertisers, traders and members of the CBC are expected to use reasonable endeavours to offer workers and other stake holders a confidential means to report any actual or potential breach of the Memorandum of Understanding.

Audit and compliance points

Advertisers, traders and members of the CBC are expected to identify and correct any activities that conflict with the standard of the Memorandum of Understanding as agreed with the Independent Team Member [ITM].

Advertisers, traders and members of the CBC will immediately report to the Mission through the Zone ITM, any serious breaches of the Memorandum of Understanding together with a schedule for corrective action agreed with by a Trade Commissioner.

Where a serious breach of the Memorandum of Understanding exists, the Mission will consider suspension or termination of the relationship with the advertiser, trader or member of the CBC.

Signatories of the Memorandum of Understanding are not responsible for any of the Mission’s activities and membership, and the traders, advertisers and members of the CBC agree as a condition of their businesses becoming a signatory to the Memorandum of Understanding to accept no liability or responsibility for activities or purchases or promotions undertaken by the Christian Phonebook or the Mission, its servants, advisors and volunteers.

Standards of conduct

Each advertiser, trader or member of the CBC will abide by state and federal laws, and local bylaws ensuring their business does not breach government legislation and regulations pertaining to their industry. Each advertiser, trader and member of the CBC will supply a Certificate of Currency for WorkCover, indemnity insurance and public liability insurance, any other BSA licensing or any other statutory licensing required by any government in the operation of the business relating to the industry of the signatory.

Any loss of insurance policies pertaining to your industry must be reported to the office of the Independent Team Member immediately (within 24 hours), through your Trade Commissioner.

The loss of qualifications, licensing or registry placement pertaining to your industry, in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding, must be reported immediately (within 24 hours) to the office of the Independent Team Member, through your Trade Commissioner.

Advertisers, traders and members of the CBC agree by being signatories of the Memorandum of Understanding that they will not price gouge or insubstantially profiteer from the general public who use the phone directory. The Memorandum of Understanding between all parties accepts that unconscionable pricing conduct will result in the suspension or expulsion from the directory of the offending signatory and their business.

Advertisers, traders and members of the CBC agree by being signatories to the Memorandum of Understanding that they will supply products and/or services promptly.  All signatories agree that they will not take advantage of the general public who use the directory by offering a lesser degree of service or product then they would normally offer in the open marketplace. The Memorandum of Understanding expects advertisers, traders and members of the CBC to be suspended or expelled from the directory for continued poor service standards.

Advertisers, traders and members of the CBC agree by being signatories to the Memorandum of Understanding that they will abide by the Fair Trading Act of their state or territory. Regular breaches of this section of the Memorandum of Understanding may result in suspension or expulsion from the directory.

Advertisers, traders and members of the CBC agree to protect the viability of the Christian Phone Book. The Phone Directory Committee has identified discounting as a core failure of similar directories, while all Christians like to serve in a Christ like manner. We do Christ no service by making the phone book unprofitable to advertise in through automatically offering discounts to people in need. While people in genuine need should be helped, advertisers, traders and members of the CBC agree to the following formula for helping people in need. Any request made of any business advertising to discount or to offer service or product for free must go through a trade commissioner for approval. The trade commissioner will talk to the leadership of the church that the consumer is a member of and look for ways the church may be able to help. The phone directory committee wishes to discourage unprofitable trade practices taking route in the directory. Discounts do not need to be approved by a trade commissioner if they are a genuine promotion offered to all consumers. The Independent Team member will suspend any operator that they suspect of predatory pricing to force another advertiser out of the directory. 

Advertisers, traders and members of the CBC agree to abide by the MOU as well as the terms of use published on the Christian Phone Book website that may change from time to time as reviewed by the phone directory committee. All parties agree it is their own responsibility to keep in touch with the trading rules of this MOU and the terms of use published on the website. Your continued advertising will be deemed as acceptance of any changes bought down by the phone directory committee. 

The Memorandum of Understanding expects advertisers, traders and members of the CBC to trade with, and in support of, each other’s businesses.

The Memorandum of Understanding expects traders, advertisers and members of the CBC to report any breach of the Memorandum of Understanding committed by any trader any advertiser or any member of the CBC to the office of the Independent Team Member as soon as they become aware of a breach being committed.

Each Zone Council is policed by an Independent Team Member and up to five Trade Commissioners. Consumers, advertisers and traders of the Christian Phonebook, as well as members of the CBC, agree to abide by the rulings handed down by the Independent Team Member. If a dispute does arise between an advertiser and the Independent Team Member, all parties agree to have the Mission’s Watchman adjudicate. The Independent Team Member has a range of powers, including ordering the immediate suspension from the directory for a period of thirty days or until the next monthly meeting of the Leadership Team, whichever comes first, of an advertiser who, in the judgement of the Independent Team Member, brings the Mission into disrepute. It is a condition of advertising in the Christian Phonebook and being a member of the CBC, that no compensation or reimbursement will be offered or demanded by any advertiser facing a suspension or expulsion. Monthly fees to maintain in the desired category listing are still payable whilst businesses are suspended. Failure to pay monthly fees is a breach of the Memorandum of Understanding which would result in membership being terminated immediately.

If membership is terminated, that business’s position within the desired category is lost and if the business re-joins at a later date, it will be at the back of the category. Expelled or cancelled businesses will not re-enter the directory at the previous ranking. Further, to re-join the Mission, businesses will need to pay membership fees again. It is a condition of advertising on the Christian Phonebook website that should a business leave the directory, be it through suspension or permanent expulsion, or left of your own accord, that no claims can be made on membership fees, weekly rates for advertising in the Christian Phonebook or any funds that the business has invested in the CBC. Further, businesses agree to honour the terms of the current contract whether the current status is permanently expelled, temporarily suspended or actively trading in the directory.

Role of the Watchman

The Watchman is a senior member of the Leadership Team and is a permanent member on the Executive.

The Watchman also has a seat on the peak policy making board, as a selected member of the President’s advisers; a group known as Mission Watch. Mission Watch is the council of advisors to the President of the Mission. As such, the Watchman has easy and regular access to the leadership of the Mission. The Watchman is there as an appeal process if a business feels that it has been unfairly targeted or has been treated harshly. Businesses can appeal any judgements or costs incurred, through the Watchman. The powers of the Watchman include asking the Independent Team Member to review her or his rulings. If the Independent Team Member refuses to review the ruling, the Watchman may seek a Presidential order compelling the Independent Team Member to review her or his ruling. After the review, the Watchman will meet with the signatory to the Memorandum of Understanding and the Independent Team Member and attempt to mediate a resolution between the parties. The Watchman also has the authority to bring each business’s case before the President or Vice President of the Mission for a presidential ruling. A presidential ruling is final and all parties agree to abide by a presidential ruling.

Signatories to the Memorandum of Understanding accept and support the constitution of the Peter and Paul’s Mission.

Legal agreement of signatories to the Memorandum of Understanding

Signatories to the Memorandum of Understanding accept where we are unable to exclude our liability by law, we will not be liable to you for any loss or damage, however it arises, whether in contract, statute of tort (including negligence), arising out of, or in connection with, your use of the resources of the Mission or the Christian Phonebook. This includes trusted partners of the Mission that are not linked to the website but physically linked, as well as advertisers and trusted partners that are linked to the website.

Signatories to the Memorandum of Understanding agree that the Mission does not assume liability for any loss of profit, loss or corruption of data, special exemplary, punitive, incidental, indirect or consequential loss or damages suffered or incurred or arising in connection with Peter and Paul's Mission including the use of the websites. This includes activities of any of the sectors of the Mission or trusted partners or in connection with any act or omission by us (negligent or otherwise).

Signatories to the Memorandum of Understanding agree to indemnify the Mission against all liability, action, claim, loss or damage arising out of or in connection with your content or use of the websites or your participation in any other mission activity conducted by your business or you personally.