Dallas Willard, author of the book Renovation of the Heart, tells of a pastor who became very angry over a perceived mistake during a service and at the end got hold of the person responsible in a side room and let rip with a tirade of a merciless rebuke. The trouble was that the preacher had left his radio mic on and his furious rant was broadcast over the church audio system for all to hear, even in the church car-park! That pastor moved to another town shortly afterwards.
But then, shouldn't we always be aware that the audience to our words and actions may be a lot wider than we imagine? In this day when cameras are everywhere and CCTV watches every move we make, we can hardly do or say anything without some kind of witness. Emails and WhatsApp messages come back to haunt people years after they were written. In a sense, our words and actions simply reflect our inner thoughts and motives. As Jesus said, it is not what enters into our bodies that defiles us, but that which proceeds out of our hearts.
Integrity and character do matter in leadership if people are to trust us. The apostle Paul set out his own approach to the subject in 2 Corinthians 6 when he said that he was determined not to put any 'stumbling-block' in anyone's path, so that his ministry would not be discredited. He also described himself as 'genuine, though regarded as imposters' (v 8). But the ultimate example of trustworthy leadership is Jesus, who lived and died for the sake of others, not for himself.
I am not wanting to make a political statement here, as others must make their own decsions on such things, but we should pray for those in authority both in the church and the world, that truth, honesty and integrity might be restored in our day.
Trust me - it matters!
