Lives Entrusted: An Ethic of Trust for Ministry

Behind all the issues of ministerialconduct and character lies a simplereality. The heart of ministerial ethicsand integrity, argues Barbara Blodgett,is trust - trust expected, trust earned,trust practiced. Trust, she says, isundermined by three trust-busterscommon in the church: secrecy, gossip,and lying.

For Blodgett, trust is not an emotionor intention but a transaction. Peopleentrust each other with things they value, and that interaction endows arelationship. In the aggregate, theycreate community. By focusing oncrucial practices of trust, a unique newframework for ministerial identity andethics is created.