Power and Control and Christian Leadership
Most Christian leadership is exercised by people who do not know how to develop healthy, intimate relationships and have opted for power and control instead. Many Christian empire-builders have been people unable to give and receive love.
Henri Nouwen
Labels: Really Random Musings
posted by Alex Tang at 8:55 AM
11 Comments:
That has been my experience as well. I think that is because many Christian leaders have been seduced by the pulpit and are ill equipped for invisible ministry.
I read somewhere some time back (from a sociologist?)who analyzed that many who try and control in the church do so cause they have failed in the secular context and try to compensate for their failures in church ...
Kansas Bob - thanks for the links to your blogs on this subject. Helpful
This quote remind me of my two brothers who entered the ministries, one became a pastor, another became a human.
Hi Bob,
Thanks again for your comments. I like your religious seduction and invisible ministry posts too.
Hi Paul,
It is sad that so many enter the pastorate ministry for the wrong reasons.
Hi John,
What a cutting commentary :)
Alex
Power and control issues are sadly not just the problem of some pastors. Some lay leaders can be just as (or more) susceptible to this temptation.
I think this is because most pastors are seen as "church employees" and so tend to have less "power". The church board members in this sense tend to have more power and control.
How true :)
Hi Paul,
Yes, control and power are big issues in many churches involving both the pastoral staff and the lay people.
not new. moses, jeremiah, elijah... many of God's prophets have poor relationships , are poor fathers, (see samuel whose sons end up like eli's sons anyway) david's sons not one ended like him- a worshipper, prophets and leader after God's heart .. we are all broken people need fixing, do you know about nouwen and his homosexual tendencies - how he valiantly suppressed them and did not sin even though he realised he carried this brokenness in him ?
Hi Anon,
Always a good reminder that we are all broken people and it is in our brokenness that God will use us.
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