A lack of integrity may not be something one would think to formally discuss at the Seventh-day Adventist church business meetings. But, though a Christian organization, it’s not immune to such issues. 

This was the topic discussed in one of the business meetings today of the church’s General Conference Session. Dr. Lyn Behrens, president and chief executive officer of Loma Linda University Adventist Health Sciences Center in California, presented a lecture on the importance of integrity.

Last week USA Today carried a front-page article in the business section, she said. It had an update on white-collar crime in corporate America. “The statistics are staggering,” she said. “As of last year, 1,300 corporate executives were charged with fraud. Of that, 693 either convicted or pled guilty to charge.”

She spoke on the definition of integrity and gave examples from both the Bible and recent history. “Research confirms that integrity is considered to be an essential principle of living for leaders. A survey of 54,000 people placed integrity as the number one quality needed in a leader,” she explained. “Further, 100 top executives of Fortune 500 Companies listed honesty, character and integrity as essential for corporate success.

“In 1998 integrity was listed, along with honesty and courage, as a valued foundation for all actions of the General Conference and its employees,” she added.

Several delegates presented concerns that they’ve seen instances where integrity was lacking in their respective church institutions.

Richard Osborne, president of Pacific Union College in California, shared his concern that, in some cases, auditor reports are “not taken as seriously as they could be. Accountability needs to reside in the governing boards to take management letters seriously,” he said.

Recommending people for church positions was one item Behrens discussed.

“What is the responsibility of the individual asked to write a letter of recommendation for someone they cannot really recommend positively?” asked Garland Dulan, director of education for the world church. “What is the responsibility to the organization requesting the letter and to the individual who it is about?”

Osborne responded, “I tend to give honest recommendations. I think if we were a lot more honest in the recommendations we gave each other ... it would help the candidate and the institution.”

He added, and was met with applause, “Let’s compensate for weaknesses and celebrate strengths.”

Pedro Mendez Plata, a delegate from the church’s Inter American region, said it’s important to keep a high standard in the church. “Because integrity is not common, I think this is a value that should be placed high in the church.”

Peter Ondari Bwana, from East-central Africa, said, “Transparency is very important in demonstrating integrity. Many feel that the church is in secrecy. How can we prove that our operations are more transparent so members can have confidence among church leaders?”

“For quite some time there has been this brother/sister relationship. Because we are all brethren, it is easier for us to accept things. ... The fact that we are brothers doesn’t say that we must not uphold the integrity of what we do,” Herman Ming, from Jamaica, told ANN.

“I believe that in the long run, if we don’t have it [integrity], the church will collapse,” said Ian Whitson, an Australian working in Fiji.

Is the issue of integrity a major problem for the church?

“I believe it is,” Whitson said. “I believe we often hide under committee actions, and through committee actions we often cover up lapses in integrity and we often use committee actions to put down employees that we may not like personally. Some of the church employees often feel that they are victims from higher authorities.”

Whitson added that some of these lapses in integrity may not be intentional, but “just human.”

“Integrity is the steel infrastructure that supports our characters, our families, our institutions, our communities, and our church,” Behrens said. “Just so, broken integrity fractures personal and professional relationships. ... There is no such thing as a minor lapse of integrity.”

Behrens’ presentation was the second of a series of five topics on leadership.