Integrity

From Church Leadership by Lovett Weems: "No matter what we say, people only pay close attention to what we do.  Inconsistency is devastating.

Year ago, and I don't know who said it, I heard that honesty is telling people what you have done and integrity is doing what you have told people you will do.  They are both a type of honesty, don't you think?  Truthfulness in words and actions.

Weems talks about two kinds of integrity.  There is personal integrity; our trustworthiness as a person.  "Brilliance is not required for leadership, but integrity is."  Do we follow through with what we say we will do?  Do we tell the truth? Do we accept fault for our mistakes? When we say we love and care for someone, do our actions live out our words, or are we inauthentic?  People think qualifications and experience are important for leadership, and no doubt they are, but without character and integrity, a leader will fail. 

As I write that, I can think of people I have seen who do not possess an admirable character and who do not exhibit integrity, and yet have risen to high positions of leadership.  Why is that?  Is it because we (as the follower) can't see or admit to the lack of integrity? Is it because power can be used to keep people in control? I don't know, but I do believe that excellent leadership in God's kingdom grows out of trustworthiness and integrity.

Weems also talks about organizational integrity.  Does our organization - whether that is a church, a charity, a school, a government - live into what its purpose is? Does it do what it states is its mission? Is it honest in its transactions? For example, if I give a gift to an organization for a specific purpose, and the gift is used for something else, I won't find that organization to be trustworthy, and I will stop giving gifts.  Will I trust (and participate in) an organization that I don't trust?  No, probably not.

Can we as a church - the body of Christ - say that God loves all people, and that we bring the light of God to the world, when what we bring is judgment and hate?  Integrity is doing what you have said you will do.

 

The Road

Three quotes that are rattling around in my head.

There is no freeway to the future. No paved highway from here to tomorrow. There is only wilderness. Only uncertain terrain. There are no road maps. No signposts. So pioneering leaders rely upon a compass and a dream.  (James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner. The Leadership Challenge as published in Church Leadership by Lovett Weems).

In church a couple of Sundays ago, during the Advent candle lighting, one of the readings said something like: The road to the kingdom is always under construction, per John the Baptist.

During our Academy in October, one of the attendees said, "without vision, there is no hope."

I think, as churches, and as people, we have a desire to make a difference.  To work for God's kingdom.  And yet, sometimes I think we feel like we are stuck in a rut, or moving backwards instead of forwards.  These quotes work together to say to me that without a vision, our churches have no hope of making a difference.  Those who depend on us may have no hope in their lives.  And yet, while we speak of vision, we are sometimes unwilling to pave the path forward.  Having a vision requires hard work and discernment.  The way forward is not obvious, and to find it requires our effort as construction workers.

Do we  have enough hope to search for the vision and to pave the road as we go? Will we leave those who need us hopeless?

 

Book Review: Church Leadership

Information about the book

Weems, Lovett H. Church Leadership, Revised Edition.  Abingdon Press, Nashville, 2010. (Cokesbury / Amazon)

Summary

From the back of the book:  In this Revised edition of the class work on leading congregations, Lovett Weems draws on the best new ideas and research in organizational leadership, yet always with his trademark theological grounding foremost in mind.  Anyone who guides the life of a congregation be they clergy or laity, will find Church Leadership an indispensable took with which to follow their calling to be a church leader.

This was one of the books assigned to the Conference CLM class I am teaching.  The group found it to be one of their favorite books of the 10 we are reading together. 

The book is structured in four parts: Vision, Team, Culture, and Integrity.  He speaks of leadership as a channel of God's grace and a gift from God.

Impressions

I would highly recommend this book.  Parts that especially appealed to me were:

1. The excellent descriptions and clarity around what leadership actually is.  "Genuine leadership is always values driven leadership."  There is an excellent section about authority and its source.
2. The vision chapter is especially well done, and as I read it, I was already applying it to our ministry where I work and to the churches we serve.
3. Our CLM class had a good discussion with a guest speaker regarding culture - how to respect the "culture" of a church as you enter its ministry.
4. The chapter about integrity is well done and would be useful for anyone in leadership.

To summarize, all of the book is good, well written, and helpful in ministry.  Two thumbs up!