• Always follow both state and federal laws regarding substances (no underage drinking or DUI, no consumption of drugs deemed illegal by either state or federal statute). For example, no marijuana (federally illegal), even in Colorado or another “legal” state.
• Use wisdom and discretion. Drink moderately and refrain from driving if you have been drinking.
• Do not serve, provide or consume alcohol at any Church event or on any Church premises. Exceptions can be considered for off-site adult groups on a case-by-case basis. Speak to your staff/ministry team lead if you feel an exception is warranted.
• Do not serve or provide alcohol when your staff or elder team, in whole or in part, gather for a meeting. If you/your supervisor feel an exception is warranted, make your request to the HR Department.
• Do not post (and strive to limit) social media posts that appear to identify you with active alcohol consumption (exceptions might be a photo of a toast at a wedding or a glass of wine on the table at a family gathering or while on vacation).
• Refrain from serving or consuming alcohol in the following situations, where the Christian ethic of love compels us to sacrifice the exercise of our freedoms for one another.
  • In a “weaker brother/sister” situation regarding alcohol (your consumption could cause a brother or sister to violate his or her conscience by consuming alcohol).
  • In a “vulnerable brother/sister” situation (your consumption could cause significant distress for a brother or sister whose life has been harmed by alcohol abuse).
• The previous point is particularly important when considering whether or not to consume alcohol in public in Bryan/College Station. We live in a relatively small town, and we have had many GBC families and individuals whose lives have been adversely affected by alcohol. Whether in public or in private, we need to give the utmost consideration to the needs of others.
• If you serve in a ministry to minors, consider refraining from “exercising freedom” to consume alcohol in contexts where your students/families are likely to be present (e.g., weddings of Grace Bible Church Fellows or leaders) for the reasons listed above under “weaker brother/sister” and “vulnerable brother/sister.”
• If you know that you personally do not have the freedom to consume alcohol and that you are tempted to violate your conscience when you are with other staff or elders who are drinking, or if being in the presence of other staff or elders who are drinking causes you significant distress because of your personal history and experience with alcohol (i.e., if you are the “weaker/vulnerable” one), let it be known to fellow staff or elders so that they can support, encourage, and protect you.
• In all cases, intoxication is considered contrary to our biblical standards and our code of conduct and may be grounds for discipline and/or dismissal from staff or elder leadership. The same applies to incidents of willful violation of the standards above.

The essence of the above is that we encourage every staff and elder to avoid the use of illegal substances and to exercise cautious freedom and discernment in the consumption of alcohol. In most situations, consideration of the following questions will help guide the decision-making process.

• Will drinking alcohol hinder me from being a faithful representative of Jesus in this situation?
• Could it cause my ministry or the Church’s reputation to be discredited?
• Could it create confusion, disillusionment, or conflict, particularly with minors, students, parents, or other Church leaders?
• Is it wise to drink alcohol in this particular place or situation? (For example, am I at a bar that has a reputation for being a place of drunkenness or immorality?)
• Who will be with me or around me? Will their actions or behavior reflect negatively on me?
• If I’m serving alcohol to someone, do I know his/her story with alcohol? Am I causing that person pain or creating a temptation?

We encourage you to take the exercise of this particular freedom very seriously. According to a recent study, “...the number of alcohol-related deaths more than doubled between 1999 and 2017 from nearly 36,000 to nearly 73,000, and the rate of alcohol-related deaths rose by more than 50 percent from 16.9 per 100,000 people to 25.5. To put that in perspective, there were roughly 70,000 drug overdose deaths in the US in 2017. Based on the Alcoholism study, alcohol was linked to more deaths than all overdoses — even at the height of America’s opioid epidemic.” In other words, there were more alcohol-related deaths than deaths from all other drug overdoses combined!