Americans have spoken. You don’t trust pastors. A recent Gallup survey found that only 34% of Americans ranked pastors as “high” or “very high” regarding their honesty and ethical standards.[i] Twenty years ago pastors were ranked among the very highest. Why the shift?
Over the past two decades, there has been a steady flow of news that has exposed leaders and institutions for sexual scandals and power abuses. Thus, this shift as disheartening as it is, is not very surprising.
I don’t blame Americans for not trusting pastors. We pastors have given the public plenty of reason not to trust us.
This distrust isn’t contained to pastors, it casts a wide net over Christians in general. Because of the poor witness of select pastors who have been publicly exposed for their sin, we as believers have a credibility problem.
Christ told the church that we were to be salt and light: a “city set on a hill” (Mt 5:13-14). We are supposed to be known by our good fruit (Matt 12:33) and by our love for one another (Jn 17:21-23). Many would say that this seems a far cry from what we are known for.
How can we win back trust and credibility? How can we be those who are known as salt and light?
Be honest. We undermine our witness when we try to cover up our sin and weakness. We will regain credibility as we seek transparency about our own sins and the sins of the church. Let us remember and walk in step with John’s words, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us” (1 Jn 1:8-10).
Work out your salvation. Paul encourages the church at Philippi to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you” (Phil 2:12-13). He continues, urging them to “Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world” (Phil 2:13-16). By confessing, you give God an open pathway to bless, transform, and sanctify. Seek the Lord in prayer, confess daily, repent accordingly, and read his Word. Be intentional about speaking words of gratitude and healing, not “grumbling or disputing.” Who isn’t drawn to someone who is humble, authentic, and joy-filled?
Don’t run from the church. If we take Jesus’s admonition to the church seriously in John 17, we recognize that disconnecting ourselves from the body isn’t the way to regain our credibility. The church is Christ’s intended vessel to demonstrate his glory so that “the world may believe” (Jn 17:22-23). When we detach ourselves from the church, we selfishly protect our own reputation by hiding. If Jesus humbly staked his reputation to his wobbly-kneed followers, ought we not do the same?
Make a difference. James reminds us that “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world” (Jms 1:27). So many churches do a wonderful job of caring for orphans and widows. Moreover, Christians are twice as likely to adopt.[ii] And those who regularly read the Bible are 55% more likely to donate to charity than those who do not.[iii] Don’t sit on the sidelines: get involved. Our Savior is full of generosity and mercy and invites us to demonstrate both to a hurting world.
Be peaceful. Tucked in Paul’s letter to Timothy, Paul prays an interesting prayer for the followers of Christ, “that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way” (1 Tim 2:2). Timothy ministers to the church at Ephesus, a pagan and secular city. Paul knows that one of the most powerful ways that the church can be a witness in their chaotic and divided world is to be a beacon of peacefulness. In fact, one chapter later, Paul says that as the church selects overseers, they “must be well thought of by outsiders” (1 Tim 3:7). In a divided and combative world, may we be known as peacemakers.
Don’t seek validation. And yet, we can’t expect the world to validate us. We are strangers in a foreign land. Jesus reminded his disciples that “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you” (Jn 15:18). Part of the reason that we have lost credibility in this world is because the North on our moral compass points in a different direction than the world’s. Because we trust the authority of God’s Word, we cannot capitulate to cultural winds that blow us off course. Sometimes losing credibility is necessary and a sign that we are not of this world.
Build bridges. Jesus sought out the Samaritan, the Syro-Phoenician, the Roman Centurion. We are to love our neighbor as ourself. We are to go into all the world with the best news. It’s unlikely the credibility of the church will be rebuilt in our lifetime, but we can build gospel bridges based on our own credibility as we love our neighbors tangibly and demonstrate God’s compassion to them.
The world doesn’t trust me. It doesn’t trust you either. But don’t lose heart. Christ has overcome the world. And he calls us into the world with the assurance of his presence and his power. May we live in a manner that reflects his light to this dark world. Daniel promises that, “And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.” May we shine for his glory, entrusting our reputation to God and God alone.
[i] Megan Brennan, “Nurses Retain Top Ethics Rating,” Gallup, Jan 2023, https://news.gallup.com/poll/467804/nurses-retain-top-ethics-rating-below-2020-high.aspx?utm_source=news&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the_week_in_charts_send_2_january_01102022&utm_term=newsletter&utm_content=read_article_textlink_2&mc_cid=40edc164d6&mc_eid=cb132cdc24.
[ii] Deanna Kahler, “Who Adopts the Most?” Center for Adoption, April 13, 2018, https://adoption.org/who-adopts-the-most
[iii] Jack Fowler, “New Study: Religious Faith and Reading the Bible Increase Generosity,” Philanthropy Daily, November 16, 2021, https://philanthropydaily.com/new-study-religious-faith-and-reading-the-bible-increases-generosity/#:~:text=In%20fact%2C%2080%20percent%20of,generous%20than%20the%20general%20public..
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