Action or Image

Andre Agassi said, “Image is everything.” More recently, Kobe Bryant said, “Image is nothing. Thirst is everything. Obey your thirst.” I am pretty sure that Kobe would now say that image is not nothing. What we do and what we say does not seem to be nearly as important to the public as what it appears we said and did. It also seems that the media holds celebrities to a higher level of scrutiny. Every indiscretion and misstep is magnified, photographed, discussed, and solved in magazines and on television. However, the level of disappointment and dissatisfaction seems to be lacking. In fact, we are more surprised when a celebrity lives a clean life than when one falls into an abusive relationship with people, substances or indiscretions.

When it comes to people of “the cloth” – ministers – men and women who have chosen to work in the church as a profession, there seems to be a shift in the level of dismay. There is a greater expectation that comes with the scrutiny of the public eye. Unfortunately, the level of shock decreases with every man and woman directly affiliated with church leadership that takes a public hit. At first glance of such a sight, the immediate reaction is a feeling of unfair treatment. Why should I, as a minister in the church, be held to a different level of expectation than any other human that walks this Earth? I am, after all, just a human. I make mistakes like everyone else. People have to understand that. Contrary to popular belief, I am not perfect. (Gasp, Look of shock, surprise and amazement!!)

But, alas, the public unknowingly expresses the same sentiment that God does. James 3.1 says that those who teach will be judged more strictly. Because of the position of leadership entrusted to us and the impact that we have on the paths of faith for those who trust in our teaching, we must be keenly aware of the image we are displaying. As a prophet of God, the mouthpiece of God or the face of the church (whether rightly or wrongly so, it is often the case)we must not only be aware of not only what we say and do, but what our actions and words appear to communicate to the public. There are many things that are not, in and of themselves wrong, but have to be avoided as a leader in God’s church because of the image it portrays and projects onto the church and the body of Christ. We must always be aware of the impact we have on the image the church we serve, the people who follow us, and what our actions say to those who trust in our choices and discretion.