The Church As A Transformation Agent
Haggai leader and faculty member Abiodun Fijabi works with churches and ministries to prepare their leaders for maximum impact in society. He was a mechanical engineer by trade, and now works as a public speaker, trainer, and life coach. The following are his answers to why Christian integrity and leadership are required for the church and society. This was published by Senior Politics Correspondent Ehikeme Omenazu for Independent Nigeria, a daily newspaper based in Lagos. All content from Independent.ng.
Independent Nigeria (IN): What is the effect of integrity and leadership in our present-day society?
Abiodun Fijabi (AF): Leadership falls to places without integrity, because leadership and integrity are of the same character and when the character angle is missing, it becomes a major challenge. When everything else fails, integrity remains and integrity makes a way for leaders. Integrity is very vital to leadership and without it, you can only go so far. One thing everyone needs to inculcate is the ability to be integral in your word and action, inaction and intents. Imbibe life values, make life better, and open yourself to others. It’s a life to live as a leader.
IN: Do you think integrity and leadership quality have been entrenched in the present state of the Church?
AF: Significantly, people are losing confidence in Nigerian church leadership and by extension, the Christian faith. This is because leaders do not epitomize what they say and what they profess. And so when you have doubt between words and actions, you have a problem with integrity issues. These issues, as a result, now become a factor of doubt on Christian leaders’ integrity. [We especially saw this in the last election]. Many failed [predictions] on the last election were recorded, and many people had built their confidence [on these], but it turned out to be failed prophecies, with many speaking with confidence carelessly. Some went as far as saying, “If these prophecies don’t come to pass, it means I am not a man of God.” And the predictions didn’t come to pass, yet, having led people astray, these “prophets” could not come back to apologize publicly.
It is an integrity issue against the church. Everyone who carries the name of the Lord must see to it that we restore integrity back to the Church by doing what is right though ourselves being open, vulnerable, and making a genuine impact on people rather than all the kind of things we do to manipulate people into obedience and give away their resources. We need to bring back integrity into the Church.
IN: How do you think the church can impact society?
AF: The Church is a transformation agent of the world. Because the Church is the pillar of truth and must stand on the truth, the Church is a light in the darkness and the salt of the Earth. All of these metaphors describe us as transformation agents. We cannot hide under the bushel; we have to be right on the table where they can see the light. Our salt must be able to mix into society and impact, purify, sweeten, and prevent it from decay. We are the hope of society and you can imagine when we have lost our saltiness, it is therefore good for nothing more than to drop it on the feet of men (Matt. 5:13).
It is a calamity of monumental proportion and that’s what we seem to be seeing now and there could be more to come. People have to work on themselves, imbibe Christian principles, and know the mind of God. Unfortunately, many Christians are associating and communicating with what and who they are not supposed to be relating to, but no matter what is happening in the Church today, the Church must be ready to take its place in society.
IN: What should be the role of leadership and integrity in parenting?
AF: Parenting is a major issue because we have a culture of how we do things, but that culture does not help much anymore. [In Nigeria, I see a culture] of mum and dad [not engaging in] communication with their children. All they do is just give them instructions… But these children are now on the internet and they hear alternative points of view. They know what other things people are doing.
The time has come for parents to engage their children more. Christian parents, who I see are using goal tactics to raise children, will discover that they are not doing it right; they have problems in their hands in the future. There’s a need for us to change our attitude towards parenting, and see it as an opportunity for us to midwife the children through life, where we are their guide. They are the arrows from above. We are the bows and they are the arrows: we shoot them into the future with the qualities and the characteristics that we share. In a situation where the adult is living in decadence, for example, you can imagine how the future generation is going to follow suit — the present and the future generations will be more than decadent. They will decay fast.
Ideally, the parents and the children come together and they work in conformity with the Word of God. Parents will impart the knowledge of the Word in them.
IN: What is your advice to Nigerians in general?
AF: Nigerians should think outside the box and be proud of who they are. They should challenge their limits and ensure they say and do things in alignment. In every situation they find themselves in, Nigerians should be still, thankful to God, adapt to change, and sustain their progress with the right mindset. On a final note, integrity matters in all you do and leadership must be shaped by values, rather than by popular opinion.
Author Abiodun Fijabi
The Church As A Transformation Agent
Haggai leader and faculty member Abiodun Fijabi works with churches and ministries to prepare their leaders for maximum impact in society. He was a mechanical engineer by trade, and now works as a public speaker, trainer, and life coach. The following are his answers to why Christian integrity and leadership are required for the church and society. This was published by Senior Politics Correspondent Ehikeme Omenazu for Independent Nigeria, a daily newspaper based in Lagos. All content from Independent.ng.
Independent Nigeria (IN): What is the effect of integrity and leadership in our present-day society?
Abiodun Fijabi (AF): Leadership falls to places without integrity, because leadership and integrity are of the same character and when the character angle is missing, it becomes a major challenge. When everything else fails, integrity remains and integrity makes a way for leaders. Integrity is very vital to leadership and without it, you can only go so far. One thing everyone needs to inculcate is the ability to be integral in your word and action, inaction and intents. Imbibe life values, make life better, and open yourself to others. It’s a life to live as a leader.
IN: Do you think integrity and leadership quality have been entrenched in the present state of the Church?
AF: Significantly, people are losing confidence in Nigerian church leadership and by extension, the Christian faith. This is because leaders do not epitomize what they say and what they profess. And so when you have doubt between words and actions, you have a problem with integrity issues. These issues, as a result, now become a factor of doubt on Christian leaders’ integrity. [We especially saw this in the last election]. Many failed [predictions] on the last election were recorded, and many people had built their confidence [on these], but it turned out to be failed prophecies, with many speaking with confidence carelessly. Some went as far as saying, “If these prophecies don’t come to pass, it means I am not a man of God.” And the predictions didn’t come to pass, yet, having led people astray, these “prophets” could not come back to apologize publicly.
It is an integrity issue against the church. Everyone who carries the name of the Lord must see to it that we restore integrity back to the Church by doing what is right though ourselves being open, vulnerable, and making a genuine impact on people rather than all the kind of things we do to manipulate people into obedience and give away their resources. We need to bring back integrity into the Church.
IN: How do you think the church can impact society?
AF: The Church is a transformation agent of the world. Because the Church is the pillar of truth and must stand on the truth, the Church is a light in the darkness and the salt of the Earth. All of these metaphors describe us as transformation agents. We cannot hide under the bushel; we have to be right on the table where they can see the light. Our salt must be able to mix into society and impact, purify, sweeten, and prevent it from decay. We are the hope of society and you can imagine when we have lost our saltiness, it is therefore good for nothing more than to drop it on the feet of men (Matt. 5:13).
It is a calamity of monumental proportion and that’s what we seem to be seeing now and there could be more to come. People have to work on themselves, imbibe Christian principles, and know the mind of God. Unfortunately, many Christians are associating and communicating with what and who they are not supposed to be relating to, but no matter what is happening in the Church today, the Church must be ready to take its place in society.
IN: What should be the role of leadership and integrity in parenting?
AF: Parenting is a major issue because we have a culture of how we do things, but that culture does not help much anymore. [In Nigeria, I see a culture] of mum and dad [not engaging in] communication with their children. All they do is just give them instructions… But these children are now on the internet and they hear alternative points of view. They know what other things people are doing.
The time has come for parents to engage their children more. Christian parents, who I see are using goal tactics to raise children, will discover that they are not doing it right; they have problems in their hands in the future. There’s a need for us to change our attitude towards parenting, and see it as an opportunity for us to midwife the children through life, where we are their guide. They are the arrows from above. We are the bows and they are the arrows: we shoot them into the future with the qualities and the characteristics that we share. In a situation where the adult is living in decadence, for example, you can imagine how the future generation is going to follow suit — the present and the future generations will be more than decadent. They will decay fast.
Ideally, the parents and the children come together and they work in conformity with the Word of God. Parents will impart the knowledge of the Word in them.
IN: What is your advice to Nigerians in general?
AF: Nigerians should think outside the box and be proud of who they are. They should challenge their limits and ensure they say and do things in alignment. In every situation they find themselves in, Nigerians should be still, thankful to God, adapt to change, and sustain their progress with the right mindset. On a final note, integrity matters in all you do and leadership must be shaped by values, rather than by popular opinion.
Author Abiodun Fijabi
The Church As A Transformation Agent
Haggai leader and faculty member Abiodun Fijabi works with churches and ministries to prepare their leaders for maximum impact in society. He was a mechanical engineer by trade, and now works as a public speaker, trainer, and life coach. The following are his answers to why Christian integrity and leadership are required for the church and society. This was published by Senior Politics Correspondent Ehikeme Omenazu for Independent Nigeria, a daily newspaper based in Lagos. All content from Independent.ng.
Independent Nigeria (IN): What is the effect of integrity and leadership in our present-day society?
Abiodun Fijabi (AF): Leadership falls to places without integrity, because leadership and integrity are of the same character and when the character angle is missing, it becomes a major challenge. When everything else fails, integrity remains and integrity makes a way for leaders. Integrity is very vital to leadership and without it, you can only go so far. One thing everyone needs to inculcate is the ability to be integral in your word and action, inaction and intents. Imbibe life values, make life better, and open yourself to others. It’s a life to live as a leader.
IN: Do you think integrity and leadership quality have been entrenched in the present state of the Church?
AF: Significantly, people are losing confidence in Nigerian church leadership and by extension, the Christian faith. This is because leaders do not epitomize what they say and what they profess. And so when you have doubt between words and actions, you have a problem with integrity issues. These issues, as a result, now become a factor of doubt on Christian leaders’ integrity. [We especially saw this in the last election]. Many failed [predictions] on the last election were recorded, and many people had built their confidence [on these], but it turned out to be failed prophecies, with many speaking with confidence carelessly. Some went as far as saying, “If these prophecies don’t come to pass, it means I am not a man of God.” And the predictions didn’t come to pass, yet, having led people astray, these “prophets” could not come back to apologize publicly.
It is an integrity issue against the church. Everyone who carries the name of the Lord must see to it that we restore integrity back to the Church by doing what is right though ourselves being open, vulnerable, and making a genuine impact on people rather than all the kind of things we do to manipulate people into obedience and give away their resources. We need to bring back integrity into the Church.
IN: How do you think the church can impact society?
AF: The Church is a transformation agent of the world. Because the Church is the pillar of truth and must stand on the truth, the Church is a light in the darkness and the salt of the Earth. All of these metaphors describe us as transformation agents. We cannot hide under the bushel; we have to be right on the table where they can see the light. Our salt must be able to mix into society and impact, purify, sweeten, and prevent it from decay. We are the hope of society and you can imagine when we have lost our saltiness, it is therefore good for nothing more than to drop it on the feet of men (Matt. 5:13).
It is a calamity of monumental proportion and that’s what we seem to be seeing now and there could be more to come. People have to work on themselves, imbibe Christian principles, and know the mind of God. Unfortunately, many Christians are associating and communicating with what and who they are not supposed to be relating to, but no matter what is happening in the Church today, the Church must be ready to take its place in society.
IN: What should be the role of leadership and integrity in parenting?
AF: Parenting is a major issue because we have a culture of how we do things, but that culture does not help much anymore. [In Nigeria, I see a culture] of mum and dad [not engaging in] communication with their children. All they do is just give them instructions… But these children are now on the internet and they hear alternative points of view. They know what other things people are doing.
The time has come for parents to engage their children more. Christian parents, who I see are using goal tactics to raise children, will discover that they are not doing it right; they have problems in their hands in the future. There’s a need for us to change our attitude towards parenting, and see it as an opportunity for us to midwife the children through life, where we are their guide. They are the arrows from above. We are the bows and they are the arrows: we shoot them into the future with the qualities and the characteristics that we share. In a situation where the adult is living in decadence, for example, you can imagine how the future generation is going to follow suit — the present and the future generations will be more than decadent. They will decay fast.
Ideally, the parents and the children come together and they work in conformity with the Word of God. Parents will impart the knowledge of the Word in them.
IN: What is your advice to Nigerians in general?
AF: Nigerians should think outside the box and be proud of who they are. They should challenge their limits and ensure they say and do things in alignment. In every situation they find themselves in, Nigerians should be still, thankful to God, adapt to change, and sustain their progress with the right mindset. On a final note, integrity matters in all you do and leadership must be shaped by values, rather than by popular opinion.
Author Abiodun Fijabi
