For Churches, Only Trust Will Win Over a Skeptical Public

Trust is a scarce commodity these days. Polls tragically reflect how little faith the public puts in government leaders, law enforcement professionals, and business executives. Sadly, public sentiment for church leaders isn’t much better. We live in an era when skepticism of churches is too often considered politically correct. Half-truths about churches are accepted as facts.

As I have crisscrossed our great country for decades and met with thousands of church leaders, it is clear that nearly all churches are committed to integrity. Is there an occasional example of a church that regrettably betrays the public’s trust? Now and then. But these are what I consider to be “trust-outliers.”

Nevertheless the perception that “trust-outliers” are the rule, rather than the exception, persists. That’s why it’s so important for churches to work at trust. Keep reading