The Integrity of Church Leaders in The Indonesian Perspective
Introduction
In this era, it is difficult to find a Christian educator who can truly fit into the category of integrity. They are currently various professions of believers, whether it is in the market, in the office, in a commercial center, at school, on campus, in the neighborhood or village and even in the church, with characteristics that are difficult to distinguish. from non-Christians.
The characteristics of Christians have begun to fade, the words, actions and decisions they make are no different from those of non-ChristiansIn fact, if non-Christians know that the person is a Christian, many of them put their trust in him. Many of them trust and are willing to cooperate in the business because they feel they believe that believers or church people are trustworthy people. but it's a shame that only a few Christians can be trusted today.
The integrity is moral excellence that must be an identity and a much-needed capital in a public service, especially in the world of education. Without integrity, a teacher will not be able to carry out his duties and vocation properly. In general, students or students as well as parents, and even the wider community view church leaders as examples or exemplary patterns of an ideal life, both in life in the school environment, in the family environment, and also in society.
Every believer, including a Christian teacher, is asked to be a witness for Christ (Acts 1:8) with his life, and must be an example in word and deed. This is what is referred to as "integrity" in this paper. Integrity is "the conformity of words with deeds".
The word " (Esesqe, mou marturew) " which has the same meaning as "you will be my witnesses"[1]. When a person receives the power of the Holy Spirit, he becomes a witness of Christ and will continue to live as a witness of Christ.[2]
A church leader must be able to maintain the good name, dignity and honor of his vocation, as well as the institution in which he belongs. But it is undeniable that at this time there are church leaders who do not meet all the qualifications of a leader, and also the qualifications of God's Word. The influence of personality is closely related to self-image, where a leader is required to always be able to show his integrity at work, and also in the community where he lives.
In a biblical perspective based on the view of the Apostle Paul, integrity speaks of "living with a clear conscience before God and men." (Acts 24:16). In a person who has integrity, there is no pretense or hypocrisy., He hides nothing, fears nothing, because his life is like an open letter This indicator has been especially recently not understood by some Christian teachers. The term integrity comes from the English "integrity", which means thorough, complete or everything. The Oxford Dictionary connects the meaning of integrity with one's personality which is honest and whole.[3].