The leading today section of the March / April issue of Preaching had an article on organizational integrity. Stan Toler discusses six things that should be done to keep organizational integrity.
· First Toler says that you must stay on course, you should construct a mission statement that communicates your organizational mission, and keep the organization focused on the mission. I would agree with Toler in this area. Many times are churches are like ships floundering in the waves without direction.
· Never over promise. One should not over promise, but one should always try to over deliver. It should be a common practice to give people more than they expect.
· Be open about Plans and programs. Toler states that lack of openness is an integrity killer. I think that a leader should be as open as possible, but they should understanding that some information should not be shared if the people are not ready to receive it.
· Open the books. Toler states that one of the most important documents an organization can publish is its financial statements. I agree. Financial transparency is of paramount importance in organizational integrity. The people should know and have a right to know that we are being good stewards of Gods finances.
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ReplyDeleteStan Toler’s six points on organizational integrity are on point. An organization should not over promise. The organization should concentrate on living up to their promises. However, I think that if an organization is making a common practice to give people more than they expect, that can become an extra burden on the organization. It may also cause the recipients to become displeased when receiving only that which they have been promised. I agree with the first part of his statement that the organization should live up to its promise, but I disagree with the second half of his statement. However, the five other points that he makes I agree with totally. If an organization is to maintain good standing with the people it must not lack integrity. It should be open about its plans and programs. The financial records certainly should be transparent. This is especially true in today’s culture. There are so many corporation heads that are stealing from the companies they work for. There are also so many Ponzi schemes that have taken place. It would be wonderful if we could say stealing only takes place in the corporate environment, however, it has crept into the church.
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