Stewardship of Confidential Material

Remember activities like trust falls, trust walks, etc.? Specifically I want us to consider how important it is when someone trusts you with a confidence. Sure, some ‘secrets’ are harmful to people. But sometimes information is withheld for the good of the whole system.

We are in that stage of the call process where a small group of people have been entrusted with an important job: selecting the right candidate for our congregation. Part of that process is to safeguard the confidences that have been entrusted to them. They do well to not disclose who the candidates are. The Rev. Karen Parker of Pacificia Synod gives good reasons for stewarding these confidences…

When confidentiality is not maintained, the Call Committee’s authority, granted by the congregation, and the mandate of its work is called into question. Lack of confidentiality in the process can cause dissension within the congregation and when confidences are not respected, candidates may withdraw from the process. These are among the congregational reasons we emphasize confidentiality.

The second focus of confidentiality has to do with protecting the candidates. A pastor may be considering the possibility of moving, but probably does not want the congregation he or she is serving to know about it until a new call becomes a reality. The pastor also wants to be the one to break the news of an impending move to her or his congregation, but when confidentiality is not maintained, it is amazing how word spreads…. Another reality of the call process is that while a number of candidates are considered, only one is chosen. It’s not in the best interest of rostered leaders to be known as those “not chosen” and that will be the case if names become public information. Maintaining confidentiality is a matter of respect.

Thank you, Pastor Karen!

It is also important for us to remember that everyone, not just the leaders, are stewards of this trust. Rumors and speculation by congregation members can begin to erode these important confidences.

Let’s all trust our leaders and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Our new pastor will show up at just the right time. These are exciting times!