Ministers of Undivided Integrity
Therefore thus says the Lord of Hosts concerning the prophets: Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall; for from the prophets of Jerusalem is ungodliness gone forth into all the land. — Jeremiah 23:15
Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. — Matthew 23:28
Author
Dr. Roberto Miranda
Summary: Integrity is essential in ministry because we teach not only from the pulpit but also through the way we face conflicts, crises, failures, and challenges in everyday life. To have integrity means to live as one undivided whole, without duplicity or hidden areas. This does not require perfection: when we fall or inconsistencies arise, we restore our wholeness through confession, humility, accountability, and acknowledgment of our mistakes. Without integrity, even an excellent ministry will ultimately collapse. Our people also learn by watching us ask for forgiveness and admit our frailties and fears. We need to serve with authenticity, transparency, and principle, driven not by ambition or natural ability, but by daily imitating the integrity and consistency of Jesus.
Integrity is one of the most important qualities of any ministry. We servants of God teach with our lives. Children learn by continually observing their parents. Churches learn by continually observing their leaders.
It is not only about what we openly preach from the pulpit, although that is of great importance. After preaching for nearly three decades, I am convinced that the Sunday sermon is not the most important intervention we can make in the lives of our congregants.
It is in the daily interactions—in your people’s observation of how you conduct yourself in conflict, in crises, in failures, and in the everyday challenges of ministry—that you truly leave your mark on the people you serve and minister to.
Integrity comes from the Latin word “integer,” which means “whole.” Integrity means being made of one piece. There is no duplicity or hidden compartmentalization. Everything is brought into the light. Much has been said about the fact that the soldiers could not divide Jesus’ garment. They had to cast lots for the whole thing. They could not divide it among themselves because it was not made in pieces but was made of one piece. And that is how the child of God, the servant of God—whether a man or a woman—must be.
We must be of one piece. Within that single piece there will even be inconsistencies at times. But what a person of integrity does is this: when those falls occur, when flaws become evident, when those inevitable inconsistencies arise, the piece is immediately made whole again, because confession follows, sin is acknowledged, there is humility before others, accountability, and recognition of the mistake that was made. And although there may be a momentary break, the armor, so to speak, that covers the life of the female servant of God is closed up again. It is very important that there be this kind of integrity and wholeness in what we do.
No matter how excellent a ministry may be in finances, preaching, or evangelism, if there is no integrity, sooner or later it will collapse.
The devil is very observant and keeps accounts open for a very long time so that a great deal of interest accumulates; then, at the most advantageous moment, he destroys and sweeps everything away, because he knows there is an opening in the life of the minister who does not practice this element of integrity and transparency.
Even when we do not do everything perfectly, our people will learn from the way we admit our mistakes, ask forgiveness for a wrong we have committed, or acknowledge our frailty or fears.
People need to see authentic and transparent ministries. People are blessed when they see their spiritual mentors governing their lives by principles rather than by ambition or mere natural gifting.
That is what lays down a foundation of life in the people under our care: seeing us strive each day to do the best we can in ministry, imitating Jesus in a life of integrity and consistency.