Integrity: an action, not an option

"Sorry I'm unable to take your call right now, but if you leave your name and number after the beep, I'll get back to you as soon as I can." The pastor's cheerful telephone voice chaffed Bob, one of the church members, like sandpaper.

"Sure you will!" Bob said, slamming the phone into the receiver. It was the third time he had tried to connect with the pastor, and the two previous messages had gone unreturned, despite what the pastor's message promised.

Bob no longer had faith in his pastor's promises, and he would make certain to tell everyone else exactly what he thought of him.

D. L. Moody¹ once said, "Character is what you are in the dark." Christians are charged with the responsibility of being the light of the world even when we think people are not watching. Integrity should shine like a steady, dependable inner light, illuminating all we do.

Little incidents, such as failing to return a phone call or breaking a promise we haven't viewed as a promise, are often insignificant to us, but they say volumes about our integrity, or lack thereof. Integrity in ministry includes being responsible, being gracious and understanding, and being good stewards.

Being responsible

The parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14- 30 is an illuminating example of the essential nature of integrity. A master assigned each of three servants the responsibility of minding some of his resources while he was away. Two of the servants invested these resources to make more, while the third chose to bury his "talent." When the master returned, he commended the first two for their integrity. "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness."

The most obvious verity in this story is that we should use the gifts God has given us to serve Him. Doing this increases their value.

But the parable exposes at least one other verity, and it has to do with the responsibility and honesty that come with being in charge. It holds leaders accountable. In her book/esus CEO, Laurie Beth Jones² tells of a professional woman who taught her fellow employees to assume everyone they met felt only goodwill towards them. Though many would say this woman was naive and asking for trouble, her habit of assuming the best of people immediately put people's intentions in a positive light.

In a sense God assumed only the best in us when He temporarily left the room and put us in charge. He expects us to behave in exactly the same way as we would if He were physically standing with us. He desires to see this good behavior in even the most insignificant areas of service. Perhaps the example of the lesser talent the master distributed to the servant in this story actually represents the seemingly light matters we oversee.

In Jesus' day, it was customary to show in some way that you earnestly meant to keep a promise. Jesus may have noticed that people were misusing this system by looking for loopholes. He challenged his followers to "Let your 'yes' be 'yes,' and your 'no,' 'no'" (Matt. 5:33), reasoning that if someone truly had integrity, their word was good enough. People trust or mistrust us partially on our reputation for following through. If we habitually promise to do something and then don't deliver, our character comes into question and people will eventually stop trusting us.

Some believe that a promise is a promise only when they use the specific words / promise. But Jesus' lesson teaches that even if we don't use the words / promise, we still need to follow through when we say we will do something; otherwise, we are breaking a promise.

A few individuals have found creative ways to skirt around giving an answer when asked to respond or act on something. They rationalize that if they don't say they will do something, they can't be blamed for breaking a commitment.This approach can, and often does, cause frustration and confusion, leading people to either misinterpret their silence for a "yes," and later be disappointed, or to interpret the lack of answer as callousness and insensitivity. It is better to say "no" and change your mind, later following through, than to say "yes" because it is what someone wants to hear, and then let them down.

Being gracious

A church created a new "hospitality host" position in addition to their regular greeters. Hosts were assigned the job of greeting and directing individuals to specific locations. They did not hand out printed programs as did the regular greeters. The associate pastor stationed the new hosts at various places in the foyer, but a month after implementing the new position, he noted that hosts remained unused and unnoticed by attendees. They were standing around with little to do. The pastor decided to phase out the position and asked the ministry director to contact the hospitality hosts and see if they would consider becoming regular greeters. Things went relatively well until she called a man whom we'll call Henry; he was one of the senior church members. Henry seethed, telling her exactly what he thought about the revisions to the new system. She hung up the phone reeling from the tongue lashing. Her first response was to think that Henry was old and set in his ways. After the ministry director had time to ponder the conversation, she understood why Henry reacted as he did. Henry used a walker even while being a hospitality host. To be a greeter, he would have to precariously balance, hand on walker, while handing out programs. She called Henry back and offered him a new position as seminar table host. It involved helping people sign up for classes. He could either sit or stand behind the table. He was skeptical but agreed to try. Before long it was obvious that he loved his new position as table host, cheerfully giving out information while using the table for balance.

Leadership and criticism go hand in hand, so expect to be criticized. Those with integrity learn to sift through criticisms to find truth. They apply that truth and make needed improvements.

Being a good steward

"Jesus told His disciples, 'There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. So he called him in and asked him, "What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer"'"(Luke 16:1, 2).

Overseeing our resources and the resources of others is called steward-ship, and good stewardship exhibits integrity. It starts with the basics such as fiscal stewardship. Responsible stewards avoid using their organization's resources for personal use (think copy machines, paper goods, and office sup plies). They carefully monitor how they spend company money and follow com pany policy regarding expenditures. This may include filling out paperwork to get approval before spending, even if they hate paperwork and systems, and writ ing off business expenses and lunches only when the expenses and lunches are directly related to their business. Responsible stewards also check to see what resources are available before spending, and they research the best prices to save their organization money.

"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom" (Eccl. 9:10). Stewardship also encompasses time management. Good stewards are productive and concentrate energy and attentions on fruit-producing endeavors. They prioritize activities and responsibilities, focusing on the most important ones first. They evaluate the effectiveness of their labors, restructuring when necessary. They recognize that flexibility, rather than rigidity, can help them get the job done and are willing to try plan B when plan A isn't working. They aim for perfection but avoid perfectionism (one of the biggest time wasters), adopting a "good enough" philosophy instead of frittering away the hours trying to fine-tune.

Conclusion

Those of us who serve as ministers are being watched. It comes with the responsibility. If we continually strive for higher marks, we will be less prone to disappoint those who look up to us. God placed us in leadership positions because He felt He could entrust us with responsibility. When we do our best, we reflect the integrity of the most spotless and irreproachable leader of all, Jesus Christ.

Little things like returning phone calls and meeting deadlines may seem insignificant, but every action we take or fail to take affects someone else and makes an impression on them. As someone once wisely said, "Christianity is often more 'caught' than 'taught.'"

You can't turn integrity on or off at will. You either have it, or you don't. It isn't an option. It's more of an action that reveals who you are by what you do. How do you handle even the smallest matters, even when people aren't watching?