Who is trust-worthy …?
Dear Friends,
Trust seems to be in rather short supply these days. Perhaps that is why, just after Rishi Sunak conceded defeat at the General Election, the new Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said this to his supporters: “The fight for trust is the battle that defines our age.” The day after Keir Starmer took office, the Church of England's General Synod listened to a presentation from Professor Veronica Hope Hailey, Dean of the University of Bristol Business School. She was presenting a recent report, Trust and Trustworthiness in the Church of England, which she co-authored. The report highlights how trust is earned and expressed in organisations, and it sets out the following four criteria by which the trustworthiness of leaders is judged:
• Ability: Have they got the right competencies and abilities to do their job?
• Benevolence: Are they bothered about others or entirely self-interested?
• Integrity: Are they guided in their decisions and actions by a moral code?
• Predictability: Can people see a consistency in their approach?
The report goes on to state: “Lapses in ability can be forgiven. Each one of us is fallible and human... But betrayals of integrity and benevolence can destroy trust, and fast, at both an individual and institutional level. As an old Dutch proverb puts it: ‘Trust comes on foot but leaves on horseback.’ In other words, trust is hard to gain but all too easy to lose.”
There has been a widespread loss of trust in those in positions of leadership, whether political or religious. I don’t know about you, but I am deeply saddened that we find ourselves in this situation, where trust is such a rare commodity. It is especially disturbing that those who lead the Church have often failed to meet the four criteria identified in the report, and have led in a way that has damaged or broken trust. The flaws in the current Living in Love and Faith process and the failings in Safeguarding are two examples of this.
Yet at the heart of the Christian life, is the call to place our deepest trust in the One who alone is worthy of it. Just before His death and resurrection, Jesus said this to His first followers: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me” (John 14. 1). When we look to Jesus, we see true leadership which is utterly trustworthy. And trusting Him gives us fresh hope to play our part in “the fight for trust”.
With all good wishes,
John Barr, Rector.
Dear Friends,
Trust seems to be in rather short supply these days. Perhaps that is why, just after Rishi Sunak conceded defeat at the General Election, the new Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said this to his supporters: “The fight for trust is the battle that defines our age.” The day after Keir Starmer took office, the Church of England's General Synod listened to a presentation from Professor Veronica Hope Hailey, Dean of the University of Bristol Business School. She was presenting a recent report, Trust and Trustworthiness in the Church of England, which she co-authored. The report highlights how trust is earned and expressed in organisations, and it sets out the following four criteria by which the trustworthiness of leaders is judged:
• Ability: Have they got the right competencies and abilities to do their job?
• Benevolence: Are they bothered about others or entirely self-interested?
• Integrity: Are they guided in their decisions and actions by a moral code?
• Predictability: Can people see a consistency in their approach?
The report goes on to state: “Lapses in ability can be forgiven. Each one of us is fallible and human... But betrayals of integrity and benevolence can destroy trust, and fast, at both an individual and institutional level. As an old Dutch proverb puts it: ‘Trust comes on foot but leaves on horseback.’ In other words, trust is hard to gain but all too easy to lose.”
There has been a widespread loss of trust in those in positions of leadership, whether political or religious. I don’t know about you, but I am deeply saddened that we find ourselves in this situation, where trust is such a rare commodity. It is especially disturbing that those who lead the Church have often failed to meet the four criteria identified in the report, and have led in a way that has damaged or broken trust. The flaws in the current Living in Love and Faith process and the failings in Safeguarding are two examples of this.
Yet at the heart of the Christian life, is the call to place our deepest trust in the One who alone is worthy of it. Just before His death and resurrection, Jesus said this to His first followers: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me” (John 14. 1). When we look to Jesus, we see true leadership which is utterly trustworthy. And trusting Him gives us fresh hope to play our part in “the fight for trust”.
With all good wishes,
John Barr, Rector.