Integrity Matters

By Dr. Edward L. Wheeler
President, Christian Theological Seminary

I have been marvelously blessed with wonderful leadership opportunities in a variety of jobs and ministries over the past forty years. Along the way I have met some marvelously gifted individuals and have had the privilege of working with talented colleagues, committed Trustees, amazing students and supportive staff. However, some of the greatest lessons in leadership came in a very painful moment. While space and time will not allow for the re-telling of the whole story, the situation involved the dismissal of a student in a graduate program whose father was the Board Chair, my mentor and the single largest contributor to the budget of the institution I served.

Lesson 1 - Make your decisions on the basis of the best information you can garner and in ways that are consistent with your highest standards. Despite my personal relationship with the student and his father, I supported the decision to dismiss him for academic reasons because he had not demonstrated a willingness to commit to the rigors of a graduate theological program. While I knew he had the ability to do graduate work, he had not lived up to his potential and the integrity of the program required his dismissal.

Lesson 2 - Doing the right thing can be painful for you. While doing the right thing for the right reason can and does carry its own benefits, it does not mean it will prevent you from having serious and painful repercussions. In my case, my mentor resigned from the Board, refused to contribute any more to the school and severed his personal ties with me. It was extremely painful to experience the dissolution of a 25 year relationship, especially in light of my conviction that I had done the right thing.

Lesson 3 - Seek help from wise and trusted persons. In the midst of my dealing with my growing anger at the injustice of the situation I was dealing with, I finally decided to seek counsel from a person I believed I could trust. I had never gone to a professional counselor and was hesitant about seeking such help. However, I put my pride aside and sought the help I needed. My brief time with that wise However, I put my pride aside and sought the help I needed. My brief time with that wise sage helped put the situation in focus and allowed me to see some things in myself I had not seen before. The conversation was transformative and allowed me to move forward.

Lesson 4 - Know that people are watching you. There is a saying that people pay more attention to the sermon they see than the one they hear. As my drama was unfolding, I had no idea how much my graduate students knew about what had taken place. I did not talk about the matter because it was a confidential issue. However, years later while having a conversation with one of my graduates who had become a close personal friend, I discovered that he and most of the 100 graduate students in the program for which I had responsibility knew all the details of my encounter. In words that still reside in my conscience he said, "Dean, you always preached integrity to us. We watched to see what you would do in that situation. Most of us had decided if you backed down because of who the student was, we were going to withdraw from school because we believed the integrity of our degree would have been destroyed. You demonstrated integrity...and we stayed."

Integrity matters. Leadership does not mean being perfect. It does not mean that everyone will agree with your decisions. It does mean that you are consistent and that you operate in a manner that allows people to believe you will do what you honestly think is consistent with your own highest standards. Even when the consequences of making "the right" decision are painful, being able to look at yourself in the mirror and knowing your motives were pure will allow you to sleep at night. Integrity matters.

Edward L. Wheeler, an ordained Baptist minister, has been president of Christian Theological Seminary since 1997. He earned his B.A. from Morehouse College (’69), and his M. Div. (Magna cum Laude) from Colgate-Rochester Divinity School. He holds the Ph.D. in Historical Theology from Emory University. He has also been honored with several honorary doctorate degrees from leading colleges in Indiana. He was Dean of the Chapel and Professor of Religion and Society at Tuskegee University before coming to CTS.

A highly regarded community leader and theological educator, Dr. Wheeler has served in a number of church and educational related positions. He is the author of numerous articles, book reviews and the book, Uplifting the Race: Black Ministerial Leadership in the New South, 1865-1902. He currently serves on several civic and professional boards including the Committee on Leadership Development of the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce, Board of Directors of the Association of Theological Schools in the US and Canada, Baptist World Alliance Academic and Theological Education Work Group and Baptist Heritage and Identity Commission, Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee (Office of the Mayor) and 100 Black Men of Indianapolis. He continues to be in demand as a preacher, lecturer and speaker.

Dr. Wheeler and his wife, Mary Susan, have been blessed with three daughters and three grandchildren.