I am not a big fan of heaping guilt on the masses….there are others who are far better at that.  The last think I want Smart Pastor to be about is making you feel bad about what you do not do, what gifts you do not have, and how some other pastor is better than you.

But I am also a believer that we in ministry need to be above reproach and that our character and integrity need to be something that would stand being put to the test. 

We don’t need to be perfect, but we do need to be trustworthy, humble, and open to examination.

SharperIron has a good piece up on why character matters in pastoral leadership and how to preserve it.  It is well worth a read.

http://www.sharperiron.org/2006/09/18/character-in-ministry/

On the subject of being open to examination…I recommend that all churches require their pastors and staff to use Internet Accountability software for their home and personal computers.  This gives a church peace of mind knowing that a safety mechanism in in place and it gives the pastor/leader some accountability.  I have never done any research on the matter but my guess would be that the majority of Christian leaders who get caught up in Internet porn would have never done so if there was a simple system in place to keep them in check.  Check out http://signup.integrity.com/accountability/