Something is missing in all this business of clergy background checks. Missing for a long time is the willingness to continue the spiritual formation of clergy into a cohesive Christian body. Money, energy and consultants, so far, have done little or nothing to build up these persons who serve our church full time.

We have fallen into the sophisticated cultural trap of believing that without outside experts, new psychological techniques and much money, we cannot solve our problems. No wonder Christ sometimes stands at a distance. He is the missing link. We fail frequently to look to him and his gospel to resolve our difficulties.

Perhaps the gospel solution is too simple for our complex way of dealing with a problem. Clergy need to center their lives on Christ Jesus, to be constantly aware of their personal commitment to the gospel and be accountable to a reliable group of Christians on a weekly or monthly basis.

Clergy whose lives are centered in Jesus Christ will slowly but surely put on the mind, heart and soul of their Chief Pastor. They will be consecrated to their Lord in all their personal, pastoral and spiritual activities.

Clergy who continually reflect the gospel in their lives will become a living gospel. They search the gospels and the scriptures to model their lives. Their essential philosophy of life is the gospel of the Lord. His teachings, standards and admonitions are paramount in their lives, or should be.

Clergy should be encouraged to gather weekly or at least monthly with a mature and trusting group of Christians, both lay and clerical, so they may become mutually accountable. Authentic trust and genuine, caring love needs to be the climate to foster perseverance in their calling. New and renewed strengthening graces will be passed to each other as the group develops into an honest meeting place of accountability. Confidentiality and trust will not, and should not, diminish the need to correct or even instruct when inappropriate behavior emerges. We need to spend time on the development of such groups to be not only safe havens for clergy, but to be a security tool where clergy face the reality, from time to time, about the genuineness of their calling and their fidelity.

Such methods are at our disposal now. We need commitment and conviction by our leadership to encourage and to foster both their existence and their perseverance. Such outside intrusions into the lives of the clergy as background checks can be stopped. Background checks use civil law but ignore the law of the Holy Spirit, and lack sensitivity into the uniqueness of the persons we call clergy. It is time we become the church and tap our own God-given resources with less fear and more courage in the power of grace and the gospel.

The church is more than a helping institution, and clergy have a call beyond professional standards. We are dealing with more than rights here because we are moving into the arena of the sacred. Christ's church needs to be cared for with the people of God.

Not long ago, in France, the Christian Workers Movement was very effective. It used the method of: 1. observe, 2. judge and 3. act. Only it was not done without asking the question, "What would Jesus Christ do in this situation?" Followers of this movement observed the situation in light of the gospel. They made decision and judgment according to the standards of the gospel, and they acted as they believed Christ himself would act.

Without the props of various sciences, Francis of Assisi renewed the entire church and brought about incredible change in the lives of clergy by following and teaching Jesus of the gospel. The problems were as grave, if not worse, in his day as in our own.

Some time ago, I worked with eight groups of clergy as their chaplain, in the Diocese of Colorado. The scriptural lessons were our center of authority and focus for discussion. We limited our commentaries on scripture to our personal, pastoral and spiritual lives. Theologizing was set aside for workshops and seminars of continual education. In the group we focused on our call, Jesus and his word. Confidentiality was agreed upon. Sharing levels increased as trust developed. Many unnecessary mistakes and at times inappropriate behavior were avoided by the honesty and openness of clergy to one another. Healing, mutual support and ministering to one another became a habit. Accountability was built into our expectations of one another.

Somehow, we need to reflect on how we approach our problem-solving needs. Sciences can be respected and proper credit given to gifted people, but above all we must keep in mind the greatest gift of all - Jesus Christ and his gospel. q

The Rev. Joseph M. Byrne is a retired priest who is convener of spiritual guides in the Diocese of Albany. He resides in Lake George, N.Y.