Trust is Fragile

The events within the SBC that have occurred and been made public in the past weeks, has caused me to do some reflecting.  As I shared last week, I am deeply grieved by the Guidepost Solutions SATF report.  I am also burdened by the task set before us as a convention of churches of rebuilding trust in the leadership and gospel work that we do as Southern Baptists.  Paul says in 1 Corinthians 4:2  “Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. Leadership is a stewardship.  Some may think it is about position, privilege, and prestige.  That is a worldly point of view.  The Bible makes clear that as God’s children we are called to faithfully steward whatever the Lord gives us.  We are to take the time, talent, and treasures we have been entrusted with and to serve and honor the Lord with them joyfully and diligently. This includes leadership. The point Paul was making in the noted verse is that as a gifted and special God-called apostle he saw himself simply as a servant who would have to give an account of his stewardship before a holy God.  It is a call for us all to recognize we too will give an account, therefore, we need to prove faithful.  What the report demonstrated was that many of our leaders (not all) were not faithful stewards of what was entrusted to them.  The role of leadership is to protect and defend the innocent but instead we heard of victims of abuse being ignored and even mistreated.  It is poor stewardship that has severely eroded trust.  Unless we repent and demonstrate it by properly acknowledging and addressing the wrong that has been done, we will not be able to restore trust. Trust is the very foundation of cooperation, and once destroyed demolishes confidence, reliability, and loyalty in relationships and it will take great effort and much time to rebuild.  Join me in praying that the Lord can help us do right for the survivors of abuse and do the hard work of reestablishing trust and thus enable us to continue the mission of proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ to a dark and broken world who needs His light and life. – Dr. Gary Mathes