Who is currently thinking about ethics, as it applies to people in ministry? Is anyone?

There is not much evidence of it, although there are ethical issues confronting professional ministers. In my educational experience, there was no academic course on this subject. Nor am I aware of any church committees currently grappling with it. Perhaps the only place where work is being done, indirectly, is at continuing education events, where ministers learn about norms and standards as they focus on specific aspect of ministerial practice with their peers.

Of course, every Christian has to wrestle with ethical issues.

But for those who make their living from ministry and are therefore (for want of a better term) "professionals," ethics present a larger dimension. Just as physicians, counsellors, accountants, psychologists, nurses, and engineers are guided by a set of professional standards and codes of ethics, so ministers have a right and a need for clear ethical direction.

No one would deny that ministers have ethical dilemmas. Ask a parish minister to identify an ethical issue, and that person will almost immediately think of wedding and funeral honoraria. Receiving money beyond one's salary for ministry evokes mixed feelings and ambiguous responses.

Confidentiality could be another ethical dilemma. When it comes to parishioners' personal matters, though, most ministers have both good instincts and an appreciation for the secrecy of the confessional.

But there are other issues - subtle and not so subtle - where ministers need guidance from a larger group. What about the exercise of power - those ministers who try to protect parishioners from outside influences originating in larger church councils, theological schools or the world church? What about ministers who enter into emotional, and sometimes, sexual, relationships with dependent parishioners?

We might ask about the ethics of organizing and leading tours to the Holy Land, which depend largely on participation of one's own parishioners, and from which the minister benefits in free travel, if not in other ways. Or about ministers accepting highly subsidized trips to Israel or to [apartheid] South Africa, nations whose governments see this as an effective way of influencing Canadian public opinion.

Who should work on such issues as these? In my judgement, authorities should not rush to lay down standards. The wisdom needed is beyond any individual, no matter how highly placed. Rather, learning from other professional associations (such as the Canadian Association for Pastoral Education), we need peer groups which will work together to examine the issues and to develop useful guidelines. Open and frank discussion - which includes lay members of the churches - is needed.

Even identifying the issues would be a useful first step.

The stake in professional ethics is credibility. Practitioners want their clients to value their work and trust the professional body. Ministers are no exception. But for ministers, the issue goes deeper.

As ministers, we must not be concerned simply with personal authority and credibility as a professional group. Our ethical practice plays a large role in whether the Gospel itself will be more or less credible in the eyes of those we seek to serve.