Tuesday, February 17, 2009

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

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11 Comments:

Blogger kc bob said...

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.

12:10 AM  
Blogger Paul said...

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

7:59 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This quote remind me of my two brothers who entered the ministries, one became a pastor, another became a human.

2:17 PM  
Blogger Alex Tang said...

Hi Bob,

Thanks again for your comments. I like your religious seduction and invisible ministry posts too.

3:14 PM  
Blogger Alex Tang said...

Hi Paul,

It is sad that so many enter the pastorate ministry for the wrong reasons.

3:15 PM  
Blogger Alex Tang said...

Hi John,

What a cutting commentary :)

3:16 PM  
Blogger Paul Long said...

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.

2:18 AM  
Blogger keropok lekor said...

How true :)

5:51 AM  
Blogger Alex Tang said...

Hi Paul,

Yes, control and power are big issues in many churches involving both the pastoral staff and the lay people.

9:27 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

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 ?

11:14 AM  
Blogger Alex Tang said...

Hi Anon,

Always a good reminder that we are all broken people and it is in our brokenness that God will use us.

1:59 PM  

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