Thoughts on the church Pt 3 (power)

In the Star Wars movies evil is defined as the pursuit of selfish desire. It is exemplified, in the movie, by the pursuit of power born out of self-ambition. Lord Acton, a English historian, is famously quoted as saying that;

Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely

Certainly, we see this played out in our government, where people cling to power and seem to do anything and say anything to hold on to their position and power. I’ve seen this played out in business, large and small, where an up and comer will do anything, say anything and step on whoever they have to to rise in the organization. Sadly, this has happened in churches, large and small, all through-out the 2000 year history of the church. One of the earliest attempts of gaining power in the church is in Acts 5.

A man named Ananias and his wife, Sapphira, likewise sold their farm. 2 They conspired to secretly keep back for themselves a portion of the proceeds. Acts 5:1-2

According to Acts 4 several wealthy members of the church were selling property and giving the money to the church so that the needs of people were met. Ananias and Sapphira decided they were going to sell their property so they could be influencers and receive praise like the others. However, unlike the others they decided not to give it all but would lie and say they did. That way they would get the praise and still have some money left over. It ends badly for them as God reveals it to Peter and they both keel over dead for their treachery. The moral of the story is that God doesn’t take to kindly to people who seek power and influence in the church.

My first exposure to the pursuit of power in church came when I was a kid and my dad was the pastor. It showed up in the monthly business meeting. Many years ago someone, somewhere decided that the church should be structured along the lines of the U.S. Government and use Robert’s Rules of Order to govern the church. This has proven a disaster in many congregations. Why? Because the people who have been around for years and know how to work the system control and run the church. This method of governance is wholly unbiblical. The only instance we see of a congregational meeting in the New Testament is in Acts 6, where they select deacons to serve the widows of the congregation. In those meetings, I saw self-important people who liked reminding everyone how much they gave and how long they had been there. I saw such worthy arguments such as, carpet color, plastic vs dishes, unplug the refrigerator or keep it plugged in None of which mattered and only seemed to further divide the congregation. The pursuit of power was on display.

Jesus told us that it shouldn’t be this way with us. In Matthew 20:25-28 it says;

Jesus, knowing their thoughts, called them to his side and said, “Kings and those with great authority in this world rule oppressively over their subjects, like tyrants. 26 But this is not your calling. You will lead by a completely different model. The greatest one among you will live as the one who is called to serve others, 27 because the greatest honor and authority is reserved for the one with the heart of a servant. 28 For even the Son of Man did not come expecting to be served but to serve and give his life in exchange for the salvation of many.

Jesus’ model would be servant leadership. You lead by how you serve. I know too many who want position long before they serve. One time I had a young lady come to me and tell me she believed that God was calling her into the ministry in the area discipleship. Although she had virtually no experience in this area, as we talked I saw that she was sincere and had prayed long and hard about it. I suggested to her that the best place for her to start is by gathering a small group of 5-8 people and begin discipling them. She refused this idea telling me instead that she believed that she was supposed to be on the stage in front of people speaking. She wasn’t ready for this and I rejected this idea and to this day she still doesn’t like me. She wanted position without the work. She wanted power.

I’ve pastored churches as small as 60 and as large as 1000 and I have seen this scramble for power rear it’s ugly head time and time again. I would see it in the singer, who wanted to sing in front of the crowd but wouldn’t attend when they weren’t singing. I’ve seen it in the man who makes a big deal about what he gives. I’ve seen it in the lady who runs the kitchen at fellowship dinners, making sure everyone knows she’s in charge. I’ve seen it in pastors, who want title and a bigger office. I’ve seen in church members who constantly bring the pastor something from their trips or always tries to buy him lunch so that they can tell him what they want. I’ve always told any staff that has worked for me to be careful of the first person that wants to be your friend. They sadly, are the ones who have agendas in church. Friendships happen organically not because of your position.

“There is always a guy.”

This statement was said to me by a fellow pastor. We were talking about the issues that each of us were having in our respective churches. His meaning was that most of the problems a pastor had in church were because of some guy or some group. I have pastored 4 churches now and in each church there was a
”guy.” They were usually the ones who were the influencers, the ones who others looked to for the yea of nay. Most times I have found them to be more trouble then blessing. In my first church the “guy” was named Jim. Jim was one of the deacons and Jim was a good “guy".” “He loved Jesus, loved the church and worked hard to see the church move forward. Before I started pastoring, the church went through a split and Jim worked hard to see the church continue. I found him to be a great asset to me and he and I are still friends today.

In my second church, it was a group of guys. The deacon board. 3 of the guys were from the same family, two brothers and a son. The other a used car salesman. They specialized in saying no. They didn’t want to see the church change. Were not interested in growth. Wanted it to stay exactly like it always was. Only the son got that things had to change because they were dying. I got voted out of that church by 1 vote at a business meeting after people showed up who hadn’t been at that church in years.

In my last church there was a guy. A guy who sought influence and position. He was good with words and easy with a joke. He could get stuff done but tried too hard to get close to me. He had a agenda and sometimes my vision and his agenda clashed. In the end that guy tried to wield influence over me that I couldn’t accept so I left. Trying to leverage my position for power is not how I pastor and not how the church should be led. Leaders in churches must be servants above all else.

So, why does that happen in churches? The same reason it happens everywhere else. James, the bother of Jesus, tells us,

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? James 4:1

We desire to be in charge. We desire to get our way. We think we have the best ideas. We want what we want and we will do anything to get it. All of us can be susceptible to do this at our jobs, our church or in our families. We want power and power tends to corrupt.