Lives Entrusted

Behind all the issues of ministerial conduct and character lies a simple reality. The heart of ministerial ethics and integrity argues Barbara Blodgett is trust - trust expected trust earned trust practiced. Trust she says is undermined by three trust-busters common in the church: secrecy gossip and lying.For Blodgett trust is not an emotion or intention but a transaction. People entrust each other with things they value and that interaction endows a relationship. In the aggregate they create community. By focusing on crucial practices of trust a unique new framework for ministerial identity and ethics is created.