Book excerpt: Behind all the issues of ministerial conduct and character lies a simple reality. The heart of ministerial ethics and integrity, argues Barbara Blodgett, is trust - trust expected, trust earned, trust practiced. In Lives Entrusted, Blodgett shows how trust is not an emotion or intention but a transaction. People entrust each other with things they value, and that interaction endows a relationship, which in turn helps to create community. Trust, however, is undermined by a number of trust-busters common in the church, including secrecy, auditing, gossip, and b.s. By focusing on crucial practices of trust-identified in terms of risk, vulnerability, and power-Blodgett shows us how we may practice better trust and thus create a unique new framework for ministerial identity and ethics.