Working Wednesday: Maintaining quality and integrity

One aspect of Life Matters Worldwide is our ministry to pregnancy care centers. Last week we talked about  the nature of our partnership with them. In passing, we referred to the list of centers on our website as ones we can recommend as having "quality and integrity." That's important, because our goal in partnership is "to establish and sustain PCCs as effective Gospel outreaches."

As our Standards for Excellence manual for PCCs states:

A commitment to excellence is the basic standard by which any successful organization operates. This is especially true for organizations claiming Jesus Christ as their Head. As ministries dedicated to serving others in the name of Jesus Christ, it is vital for pregnancy care centers to operate at the highest level of integrity and effectiveness.

This week I want to highlight some of the things Life Matters does to fulfill such lofty goals. I've already mentioned our Standards for Excellence manual. This is a 300+ page manual that helps centers evaluate their practices and implement procedures that will enhance their outreach.

Our PCC Summit is another way we strengthen centers. The Summit is a two-day conference for PCC directors, staff and board member, and volunteers. We bring in speakers that will inspire, challenge, and educate them, and offer time for prayer, fellowship, and networking.

In 2013, we'll begin offering webinars to supplement the training our associates can receive at the Summit. Topics will include reaching more abortion-minded women and board governance.

Speaking of board governance, our president Tom Lothamer writes a regular column for boards in At the Center magazine. (Links to all his articles are on our website.) Tom also trains PCC boards and helps them draft strategic plans; he and other Life Matters staff members regularly consult with directors on a variety of issues.

PCCs are something all of us on staff feel strongly about. Next week I'll talk about our partnerships with pro-life ministries overseas. But before I go, I have to mention one other thing we do for centers: highlighting one or two of our partners everyday on the prayer calendar. Quality and integrity aren't sufficient without the Holy Spirit's moving. Will you join us in praying for our partners?