Why Integrity Matters in Children's Ministry

I've been writing this week about integrity and Children's Ministry and looked at if we are people who do what we say we will do, who do not gossip and who give credit to those who have ideas and do things.  I said; "It truly matters if we are people who show the highest integrity if we are Christians; it matters even more when we are people who are leaders in Children's Ministry, because if we do not show this type of integrity, we harm others and damage our ministry." 

So, as I wrap up this conversation about integrity, I want to say, aside from being someone committed to acting in a way which shows integrity because it is what God's Word tells us to do, we must do so because otherwise we hurt people and show we can not be trusted. Sadly, there are people who have been harmed by people in leadership positions in their church who did not show integrity. Some of these people who have been harmed end up leaving the church; they may not ever return. Some of these people think if they can not trust leaders in their church, they can not trust God. They do not differentiate between people who hurt them and God. These people do more than just leave the church; they "leave" God. Look at Jeremiah 23:1,2 -

1"Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of My pasture!" declares the LORD. 2Therefore thus says the LORD God of Israel concerning the shepherds who are tending My people: "You have scattered My flock and driven them away, and have not attended to them; behold, I am about to attend to you for the evil of your deeds," declares the LORD.

It matters so much for us to be people who have integrity; people who do not harm others. If we have the joy and honor of serving God by serving the church as leaders in the Children's Ministry, we must be people whose lives and ministry show an absolutely commitment to integrity.