How pure must a church leader be?  Becoming a person of integrity                                                       Date: 3/02/03

 Scripture:   Titus 1: 5-9; Job 1:13 thru Job 2:10

 Discussion Questions

1.     How can someone determine whether you are a person of integrity?

What does integrity mean?

There are sixteen references in the Bible about integrity, and four of these occur in the book of Job describing his character. Job was a man who remained steadfast in his integrity in spite of the tests he faced.

 Integrity  = [Latin word integritas, which means wholeness, entireness or completeness]

 The root word "integer" is often used in math to represent a whole number, meaning untouched, intact and entire. Literally, integrity means you have a complete soul. It's not synonymous with ethical behavior, though ethics will often follow, but is more related to the whole concept of "being" rather than "doing." You don't attain true integrity through a series of behaviors (doing) but by being internally transformed through a personal relationship with Jesus.

Remember, God's plan will ultimately succeed, and His universe will one day become one glorious integer (whole and complete). But until that happens, you and I must live in a fractional world and experience the problems that come from fragmentation.

Integrity must continually be built in our lives through the disciplines of our faith in Jesus Christ. Ted Engstrom said, "No matter how much we try to hide our actions, our integrity (or lack of it) always shows through." Integrity of character occurs when there is consistency between actions and inner convictions over time. Strong Christian character results from both human effort and divine intervention.

2.     What sins disqualify a person for leadership in our church?

I don’t know……

Moral failure among pastors is happening with shocking frequency in the American church. A Leadership survey (Winter, 1988, pp. 12-13) revealed that one out of eight pastors have committed adultery since they've been in local church ministry. Almost one out of four admitted to doing something they feel was sexually inappropriate. One out of five acknowledged fantasizing at least weekly about sex with someone other than their spouse. If you widen the question to monthly, the number grows to over one out of three.

When a church leader falls into sin, it always wreaks havoc to the cause of Christ. The more visible and well known the leader, the greater the harm.

So it's crucial for the church to put godly men into leadership and to make sure that they remain that way. How can we do that? How can we do everything possible to insure that our church leaders are godly men? And, if and when a church leader does fall into sin, how do we deal with it properly?

 These are the questions Paul answers in 1 Timothy 5:19-25. Some of the elders in Ephesus had fallen into false teaching and ungodly conduct, which always goes with false doctrine. Paul doesn't give a comprehensive answer, but he brings up two crucial safeguards to help keep church leadership godly: First, the proper exercise of church discipline toward sinning elders (5:19-21); and second, the careful selection of elders (5:22-25).

[Integrity means we don’t hide our stumble; we don’t act like we didn’t].

Luke 5:4-6,8,10b - When [Jesus] had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch." Simon answered, "Master, we have worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets." When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that the nets began to break. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" Then Jesus said to Simon, "Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men." (NIV). The first thing Simon realizes when he witnesses the miraculous catch of fish is that this person, Jesus, has special powers from God. The second thing he realizes is that Simon himself is a sinner. (It is interesting how the presence of God always does that to people.)

So what does Jesus say? "You're right about that, boy. You are one big sinner. But maybe if you follow me for a few years we can iron out some of the kinks." No. He tells him not to be afraid that he is too sinful for God's use. He reassures him that God has a mission for him, starting right that minute.

3.     How can we as a team of church leaders grow in accountability with each other? 

We can be accountable to our spouses, children, small group members, close friends, or family members.  You have to find Godly people who are trustworthy; dependable who know how to keep secrets.  They should be able to tell you want you don’t want to hear sometime; those who can dig and probe into any aspect of your life.

Materials Needed:  Bible