In recent years there have been several instances where senior pastors of large churches have resigned or been forced to step down due to abusive behavior towards their congregations. Since these churches are large this often makes the headlines. Not only does this embarrass the congregation and its other leaders, it confirms the negative opinions many have towards the church.
The same thing happens in smaller churches as well. Because these churches are smaller it may not make the news, but word soon travels around the community. More than once I've talked to small churches struggling to survive after such abuse. One question I ask is how the community feels about their church. The answer is usually very negative. Some of these churches have since closed their doors unable to find a way to overcome the past abusive behavior by former pastors. Others are limping along, a fraction in size due to the numbers of people who refused to be abused or who followed the abusive pastor when he or she left the church.
Abusive pastors are fond of quoting Psalm 105: 15 where it commands the people to not touch God's anointed. They are quite skilled at sidelining people who oppose them and warning others to avoid their critics. They move swiftly against any perceived threat to their control over the congregation. These are not the behaviors of servant leaders.
I am a believer in strong pastoral leadership. I despise any effort of a pastor to be a dictator. There is a big difference. Strong leadership listens to others, respects others, seeks to find ways to lift up others and is committed to doing no harm to those he or she serves. A dictator cares only about himself or herself and the position that has been achieved. He or she will use anyone to accomplish his or her goals. Dictators take all the glory for things that go well and blame everyone else when failure occurs. Truth is not important to a dictator who will justify his or her lies as the means to accomplish his or her purposes.
This blog has contained numerous posts about controllers in the church focusing on lay persons who attempt to control the church for their own benefit. Controllers will also be found behind the pulpit. These individuals bring great harm to the church and to the work of the Kingdom.
What can a church do when it experiences pastoral abuse? Such abuse needs to be challenged when it begins. Don't wait until the abuse has gained momentum. To be fair, everyone, including pastors, have bad days. We don't always make good decisions. A really bad decision may not be pastoral abuse but a symptom of a bad day. However, when there is a pattern of pastoral abuse, that is when the church needs to respond quickly and firmly.
If the pastor admonishes the church about touching God's anointed, remind him or her about Ezekiel 34: 2-4, "This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! Should not the shepherds of Israel take care of the flock? You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally." The Lord goes on and says nothing positive about such shepherds and promises to hold them accountable. The church must do so as well.
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