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2023 UTCH Convention Videos

There are 3 type of groups related to Utah Christian Homeschool Association: UTCH Partner Groups, UTCH Connect Groups, and Community Homeschool Groups. See below for a breakdown of what to expect from each group type. Be aware that UTCH Partner Groups are the only groups where all participants are affiliated with/members of UTCH, and are the only groups that UTCH fully endorses member participation.

1. UTCH Partner Group (full affiliation)

a. Directly affiliated with UTCH: all participating families are verified/current UTCH members who have signed the UTCH statement of faith.

b. May use UTCH for processing payments, managing rosters, etc.,when available.

c. May include UTCH in their name (i.e., Intermountain Baptist Church UTCH Co-op).

d. UTCH will advertise in newsletters, provide information on website, and link to resources for co-op or support groups.

e.May use UTCH nonprofit information/status for events, obtaining donations, etc. with UTCH Board coordination.

f. Provides all participants with peace of mind that everyone they interact with in the group has signed the statement of faith and that their beliefs and educational goals are similar to one another.

2. UTCH Connect Group (partial affiliation)

a. Partially Affiliated with UTCH; the group is established under the umbrella of UTCH as Group leadership are all verified/current UTCH members who have signed the UTCH Statement of Faith.

b. All participants must agree to abide by rules of conduct (established by the leadership under the guidelines below) with the understanding that discussions, actions, or educational materials/teaching must not violate the core Biblical principles outlined in the UTCH Statement of Faith.

c. Non-leadership participants are not required to be UTCH members or sign the UTCH Statement of Faith, however they are subject to being removed from the group for violation of the tenants of item “b" Above.

d. Parents should be reminded that participation is not limited to UTCH membership below the leadership level, and as such, parents understand that not all members may share the same core Biblical beliefs and values.

e. May include “UTCH Connect Group” in their name (i.e. UTCH Connect Group: Ambassadors for Jesus; UTCH Connect Group Facebook Page)

f. UTCH will advertise in newsletters, provide information on website, and link to resources for Co-op.

g. May use UTCH nonprofit information/status for events subject to UTCH Board review/approval. Group may not use UTCH status for donations.

h. Allows groups the freedom to use their activities for outreach and greater exposure in the greater home school community while having peace of mind that the leaders of this group are in line with Christian values and will not be teaching material that is contrary to the UTCH statement of faith.

i. Expectation is that the group would have this statement below or a Board approved alternative as part of their webpages/group bylaws etc. for all members. While we don’t expect it to be an individually signed document individual groups would be wise to consider making a signed copy part of their membership requirements. If there is no signature requirement, it is essential that all membership is notified and reminded on a frequent basis as to the rules and intent of the group, this protects the integrity of UTCH as an organization and affirms our commitment to the UTCH mission, vision, and statement of faith.

“This support group/Co-op/social media group called UTCH Connect Group xxxxx operates under the guidelines of the Utah Christian Homeschool Association (UTCH). We operate based on the Biblical Christian faith as outlined in the core principles in the UTCH Statement of Faith (SOF). You do not need to be a UTCH paying member to participate in the support group/co-op/social media group. However, if members actions/posts/conversations etc. are not in line with the SOF, we reserve the right to monitor and remove references/ posts or terminate membership for participants in this group. Information related to UTCH and the statement of faith can be found at www.utch.org.”

j. The UTCH Board reserves the right to ask a UTCH Connect Group to cease using the UTCH name, crest, or affiliation in the event that all leadership are not verified UTCH members or if actions, speech, or activities conducted within a UTCH Connect Group are counter to the UTCH mission and vision or are in any way in conflict with the UTCH Statement of Faith.

Participate in this group at your own risk: participation is not limited to UTCH membership and as such, by choosing to participate in this group, parents understand that some group participants do not share Biblical beliefs and values. 

3. Independent Christian Community Homeschool Group

a. UTCH is aware of this group’s existence as we work actively to build connections to the Christian Homeschool Community throughout Utah in line with our mission statement.

b. UTCH will attempt to determine if the group is organized around Biblical Christian values. However, there is no expectation that members of the group nor their leadership are members of UTCH nor that they share the same fundamental Biblical beliefs and values.

c. We will keep their contact information & geographical location in our UTCH database and if we receive a request regarding Christian Homeschooling groups/resources, UTCH will furnish contact information as available and appropriate.

d. UTCH intends to build a website of Christian Homeschool groups throughout Utah and hopes to eventually provide a one-stop resource for Christian Homeschoolers looking to make connections in Utah. This resource would include independent Christian groups.

e. These groups are completely independent of UTCH as an organization, however, we view them as fellow believers and part of the Body of Christ.

f. Parents looking for connections to these groups are responsible for determining the specific values and beliefs of each independent group and UTCH makes no claims or evaluations as to the operation or execution of a community homeschool group.

g. The UTCH Board reserves the right to remove groups from our webpage or contact database in the event that we become aware that the group is not based upon Bible based principles or if a community group’s actions, speech, or activities conducted are directly in conflict with the UTCH mission and vision or with the core Biblical principles outlined in the UTCH Statement of Faith.

Participation in this group is at your own risk: participants are not required to adhere to any statement of faith or code of conduct, and participants will likely encounter things contrary to Biblical principles. UTCH simply maintains information on these groups as a connection point for homeschoolers in the community. 

Definitions and Requirements

1) Group leadership means anyone that is in any sort of teaching or leadership position. If they are in a classroom with kids in any type of authority position, or if they are leading a support group or hosting a new homeschoolers class or anything of the like, then they must be a UTCH member.

2) UTCH Partner and UTCH Connect groups MUST use the specific title that UTCH approves (i.e., UTCH Connect Group), in all materials/websites/social media/etc.

3) UTCH Connect Groups must submit their leadership roster to retain their status so that UTCH can verify that all leaders are current members.

4) The UTCH board is the final determinant of which category a group falls into and will work with group leadership to validate an appropriate title.

UTCH does our best to maintain all groups in one of these categories, but as an all-volunteer board of directors, things may slip through our hands. If you are concerned about anything or have questions related to these group levels and what they mean, please contact elyssa@utch.org.