Integrity & Authenticity: A Vital Component of Christian Leadership


 

integrity - in.teg.ri.ty
noun
1. adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty.


Please watch this video



On Tuesday when I was searching the internet for a worship song about healing for this week's service, I came across a fantatsic song that had been recorded by Hillsong. However, I also discovered some of the story behind the song and the guy who wrote it. I was completely unaware of this story until coming across the song and it got me thinking . . . and that got me blogging . . .

(Watch the video above before reading)


Why so shocked?

Why do we get so shocked when a Christian leader fails or falls? We live in a world full of sin so why does it surprise us when a Christian leader falls short?

Is it because we sometimes have wrongly elevated them into a 'god-like' position and as such they have shattered our illusions?

Or is it more simply and perhaps more correctly the fact that we expected more from them? They have been entrusted with a leadership position within the Body of Christ, they should be living a godly life as best they can, fleeing temptation and clingin on to the cross. Ideally, yes this is how Christian leaders should be living their lives - however we do need to remember their humanity and imperfections, although this is no excuse for sin!

Not a Leader?

If you do not hold a leadership position within the church, consider this for a moment: Do you measure yourself and your life by the same standards that you would expect from your leadership? If not, why not? Christian leaders are not more 'spiritual' than you. We are all God's children. He expects the same levels of obedience and trust from us all. Yes we all operate at different levels, but God's standards apply to us all, right across the board. There are no special criteria that only apply to church leaders.

Are a Leader?

As someone who has been chosen to have a leadership position within a church, it is very important to remain humble and accountable. Knowing full well that Satan is roaming around like a roaring lion, wanting to destroy us (just like he is after every child of God). We should take steps to be accountable and honest. To be open and transparent.

I know I am guilty of putting on the 'church mask' on a Sunday and going through the motions without truly being authentic and real about what is actually goin on in my life and my relationship with God - I have to address this.

Also, if there are areas of sinfulness in our lives we need to deal with them head-on! Get rid of sin - God hates it! You can not lead God's people properly if you continue to live in sin. It gets in the way of your relationship with Him and you will not be able to hear His voice clearly. You will start to lead from your own strength.

The Video

Watching the video shows how much pain can be caused when someone, and especially a trusted leader sins. your whole life, your whole ministry, even your family can be destroyed if you do not take care to flee from sin and to let the lies take over. It is not only you who are affected, but the whole church and those who truested and followed you. The pain and destruction is wide-spread.

Michael Guglielmucci's reputation and his ministry were lost because they were based upon a lie. The song he wrote is fantastic. It sounds great, it is scripturally accurate. But it is birthed from a place of dishonesty.

I know I have thought twice about using the song in church due to the roots of the person's life who wrote it. Maybe this is the right response, maybe not?

I don't want to slam Michael in this blog because I know all too well that it can happen to the best of us! Rather, it has served as a cautionary tale for me in a position of leadership. We really do have to be on our guard because it can so easily go wrong.

Your Thoughts?

So, what are your thoughts on the subject?
  • Does the life of a songwriter matter when we choose to use their songs in our worship or not?
  • Should we judge leaders more harshly than we judge ourselves?
Join the discussion. Leave your comments below.

Comments

  1. How sad..not only did his lies hurt his family but everyone else as well this man has had to use one lie to cover up another lie and so on it is like throwing a pebble into a stream the ripples gets bigger and bigger...But what a caring father we have he has given this man the courage and strength to come clean and face the Devil and say ENOUGH i will not do your bidding any more. Michael has vowed to repay all the money he was given and i believe with Gods help he will. No one is perfect we all make mistakes but it is up to you to find a solution for those mistakes.

    ReplyDelete
  2. (1st time visitor to your blog)

    I stumbled on this interview when considering the song for a worship set as well. After hearing the lyrics of the song and hearing the story behind it, I was deeply moved. Here was someone in leadership who felt it was better to make up an illness than to expose a struggle with sin. It tells a lot about the environment many of our churches create. Although he wasn't talking about physical healing like people were led to believe, I feel the lyrics were penned from a real place and his prayerful song true. If we had lived during the time of King David, seeing the dirt dished out through sinful actions, we may view some of the Psalms in the same way.

    Thanks for opening up discussion regarding this!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Yumefulfilled for your comment.

      You do make a good point. Just as King David in the Bible struggled with sin wrote heartfelt and meaningful songs of worship are still authentic and relevant because they were born out of a place of struggle, temptation and sin. We can identify with this. We too are sinners in desperate need of a saviour, of God's love, grace and forgiveness.

      However, unlike David who used his worship to express his struggles and sin openly before God, this song was used to mask the sin. I guess that is what bothers me about it.

      I am glad the guy who wrote the song is now seeking forgiveness and has admitted his sin. This is what we should all be doing. We can hide our sin behind a number of things - let's step out from behind those barriers and let God's healing power in!

      Delete

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