Guarding Against The Abuse Of Power

February 2010

One of the greatest challenges to the success of any leader in the life of the church is how to handle power. Richard Foster told us years ago that the three greatest temptations facing leaders in the church are money, sex and power. It is easier to abuse power without immediate personal consequences than it is for the other two.

We are all familiar with situations where pastors or other Christian leaders have been caught with money sticking to their hands. Leaders being caught in inappropriate sexual situations are even more numerous. There are not as many illustrations of those who have been dismissed for abusing power. Why?

It is natural for churches to invest their leaders with power. Churches are less likely to overindulge their leaders with money, and they certainly are not going to indulge inappropriate sexual behavior. Therefore, it is the easiest of the three to abuse without personal consequences. That does not mean that it is any less destructive in the life of the church.

Abuses of money and sex shake the façade of the church. The abuse of power causes a “rotting” at the spiritual core of the church. Could it be that one of the key reasons we see spiritual lethargy in the life of the church today relates to the abuse or, at least, the love of power by top leaders of the church?

I have noticed down through my years of ministry that many people I have known have been seduced by power as they “climbed the denominational ladder.” I know that, in my own ministry, it was easy to set up hedges to guard me from sexual failure or the improper use of money. It has not been as easy to guard against the abuse of power. One of the things that has helped me was remembering an old saying that was imprinted on me during my schooling, “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” I also have a wife who is not shy about calling my hand if she thinks I am going too far.

Here are several ideas for leaders on how to avoid the potential abuse of power:
1. Keep someone close to you who can and will ask you hard questions and not be just a “yes man.”
2. Keep an open mind. Seriously consider opposing opinions to determine whether or not they have merit. Don’t be too quick to squelch those who question your ideas. Many times such scrutiny allows a good idea to grow into a great idea.
3. Don’t take yourself too seriously. If you view your life in light of the whole of church history, you are really just a small part of the overall plan of God.
4. Be aware of how you use power. Do a regular spiritual inventory of your life to see if you are maintaining the proper humility with the responsibility that God has give you.
5. Always remember that little saying that I mentioned above. Far too often power does corrupt.

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