Code of Conduct/Community Standards

In keeping with our purpose and mission, Upward 40391 has developed a Code of Conduct and Community Standards that we desire to be met throughout the league.

Representatives (board members, staff, league leaders, and coaches) have been called to be imitators of God (Ephesians 5:1). We further believe that all of our representatives play equally important roles in exercising and expressing our beliefs as a community (Colossians 3:17). In response to God’s calling on their lives, our representatives work together to advance our Christian mission. Upward representatives are responsible for defining, cultivating, leading and/or representing our Christian community as an expression and exercise of our Christian beliefs. As such, each Upward representative is an integral part of our community and plays a vital role in carrying out our mission. Accordingly, we expect each representative to comply with the following obligations: Christian Beliefs, Christian Conduct Standards, Distinctly Christian Activities.

Participants (that is, they are not in a representative role. This would include players, audience, and referees) are generally not required to affirm our Christian beliefs. But such participants are expected in the course of their participation in our community to respect our beliefs, support our mission, and comply with applicable community standards. In furtherance of its Christian mission, Upward serves children and others who have agreed to learn and participate in the life of the Upward community as players and athletes. Although such participants generally do not represent the Upward Christian community, they do contribute to our community, to the experiences of other participants and to the accomplishment of our mission. Accordingly, we expect players and athletes to respect our beliefs and abide by the Christian community standards applicable to them.

Standards regarding positive environment, verbal aggression, and physical aggression apply to both representatives and participants of the league.

Respect, Safety, and Positive Environment

In keeping with our purpose, we seek to implement a positive youth sports program where the children and youth of Winchester/Clark County can better excel, thrive, and succeed on and off the court. This means that abusive or foul language, verbal harassment, physical assault, weapons on premises, sexual harassment, and failure to respond to warnings or instructions given by league leaders will not be tolerated on any site practice or game location.

Verbal Aggression

Our process for responding to verbal aggression includes:

A notice of violation of standards
A warning that if violation occurs a third time participant will be asked to leave facility.
A dismissal. If violation happens a third time, games will not continue until the participant leaves the facility.

Physical Aggression

We have a zero-tolerance behavior for any type of physical aggressive behavior including physical harm (hands are placed on someone else with intent to harm), sexual harassment, and use of weapons. We partner with our local law enforcement professionals and will take appropriate steps to address any aggressive or abusive behavior.

Concerning Alcohol, Marijuana and Controlled Substances

Our Christian Belief: We believe that the Bible permits the moderate use of alcohol, but does not permit drunkenness, in part because intoxication may undermine the role of the Holy Spirit in forming the minds and hearts of individuals (Romans 13:11-14). Similarly, we believe that the Bible does not permit the use of marijuana or controlled substances (including electronic equivalents), except for medical reasons as this to impairs one’s ability to be “sober-minded” as the Bible commands (1 Peter 5:8-9).

Our Standard for Representatives: We expect all Upward representatives are to avoid drunkenness, and to exercise careful discernment in their use of alcohol. Further, we expect that all community representatives shall avoid the use of marijuana and controlled substances, except for medical reasons. In addition, no representative may promote the use of any such product contrary to our beliefs.

Our Standard for Participants: Participants must comply with these same standards while participating in our community. This means that no alcohol, marijuana, or controlled substances (including electronic equivalents) may be used in any of our facilities or activities.

Concerning Diversity

Our Christians belief: We share in the historical Biblical standard that honors the beauty of diversity of age, gender and race, believing that all human beings are created in the image of God and as image bearers are profoundly loved by God and worthy of respect. (Genesis 1:26-27)

Our Standard for Representatives: We expect all Upward representatives to affirm this belief and seek to live daily honoring and valuing every person, treating them with kindness, dignity, and respect as commanded in the Scriptures.

Our Standard for Participating: Participants must comply with our standard of treating everyone with respect while participating in the community.

Concerning Human Sexuality, Gender and Marriage

Our Christian Belief: We believe that God has created each of us to pursue intimacy with Him, and that He calls some of us to this pursuit through marriage and others through singleness (1 Corinthians 7:1-16). We believe that God (i) creates people in His image as two distinct genders, male and female, and that the intended gender of an individual is determined by such individual’s biological sex at birth (Genesis 1:27), (ii) has instituted marriage as a lifelong covenant relationship between one man and one woman (Genesis 2:23-24; Mark 10:6-8), and (iii) calls husbands and wives to exclusive sexual fidelity, and unmarried singles to abstain from sexual relations (Hebrews 13:4). We further believe that pornographic materials undermine the dignity and image of God in individuals and promote sexual conduct contrary to our Christian beliefs (Matthew 5:28).

Our Standard for Representatives: We expect all Upward representatives to affirm their agreement with and live in accordance with our beliefs regarding human sexuality, gender, and marriage (which include refraining from sexual relations outside of marriage and avoiding pornography). All community representatives will be asked to sign a statement to this effect upon hiring or taking a representative position.

Our Standard for Participants: Although a participant does not have to agree with or affirm our Christian belief, we do expect that they respect our position while participating with Upward. As a way of supporting our mission and complying with our standards we would ask all participants to kindly and fairly act in a manner of consideration and politeness regarding our standard while participating in Upward.