This post will begin with an elementary lesson in electrical power engineering. But lest anyone think I am changing the subject of my blog, have no fear. I will use this lesson as an analogy to illustrate the dangers of unhealthy power dynamics in a church environment. If the electric power lesson makes anyone's head hurt, feel free to skip to the end.
The diagram above shows the simplest electrical circuit, consisting of a voltage or current source, a load, and wires to connect the source to the load. When the switch is closed, a voltage difference is created across the load, causing an electrical current to flow through the wires, through the load itself, and back to the source. As the current flows through the load, the electrical energy in the current is converted into other forms of energy, such as light if the load is a light fixture, mechanical energy if the load is a motor, or heat if the load is a simple resistor. Another way of saying this is that power is consumed by the load.
This simple circuit is the basis for understanding most of what takes place in modern electric power systems, from the wiring in your house to the power systems that supply cities. Sources, such as large generators or fuel cells, are connected to loads, such as buildings, by means of wires and transformers which supply the electric current that drives washing machines, refrigerators, air conditioners, etc. But this diagram omits a certain key fact: that the size of the power source must be carefully matched to the characteristics of the load it supplies. Otherwise, there will be damage to the load, the power source, or both. For instance, if a person connects a blow dryer directly to the terminals of a 13,800 volt, 1000 megawatt turbogenerator, the blow dryer won't survive.
Another extreme example of a mismatch between source and load is when a source is shorted out. For instance, if a person took a 9-volt alkaline battery and put a penny or a big copper bolt across both its terminals, the battery would quickly destroy itself. This is because the current supplied by a power source is inversely proportional to the resistance of the load connected across it. Also, the power dissipated in a circuit is directly proportional to the product of the current flowing through it and the square of the resistances through which that current flows. If you short out the battery, the only resistance in the resulting circuit is the internal resistance of the battery. Now that a very, very large current is flowing through this battery, it quickly gets very hot, often exploding in the process. This is also why one can destroy a car battery by placing a wrench across both terminals, and why large modern generators have expensive, computer-controlled switches which open up when the computer detects that the generator has been short-circuited.
There is another danger posed by short circuits in a power system, namely, the danger of arc flash. For instance, if an untrained person works on a panel or switchboard while the panel or switchboard is “energized” (connected to the utility power system), he might accidentally touch two or more of the busbars of the panel or switchboard, or drop a tool onto the busbars. When the busbars are shorted out in this way, a large electric arc is created. This arc is very bright, and the gases in its center are often hotter than the surface of the sun. The arc instantly vaporizes some of the busbar metal, creating an explosion which often has enough force to blow away the front of the panel or switchboard, creating a cloud of hot, molten shrapnel flying in all directions. Unfortunately, there have been many arc flash incidents over the years, incidents in which many electricians have been killed or permanently disabled. Therefore, if an electrician is working on a panel or switchboard while the panel or switchboard is energized, he must now obey codes and regulations which require him to be specially trained and clothed in protective gear. And power systems are now being designed to minimize the likelihood of arc flash incidents.
Now consider a church pastor whose power and authority have been properly matched to the needs of his congregation. When the pastor teaches, his hearers pass judgment, just as it says in 1 Corinthians 14:29, and the pastor and the congregation have a mutual understanding that this is perfectly acceptable. When the pastor makes a suggestion or gives direction to a member, the pastor doesn't feel threatened if the church member says, “Let me think about that.” The congregational structure is such that members can feel free to ask questions, or even to politely disagree (as long as it's not a matter of clear sin), and the pastor is mature enough not to feel threatened by this.
How will a pastor be affected by such an ecclesiastical structure? I'll tell you what I think. First, he will realize that persuasion is his best tool for instilling Christian character in his flock. Seeing how limited is his power to compel people to do anything, he will seek instead to inspire people through wise words and the personal modeling of godly behavior. And a pastor who knows that his flock is discerningly and objectively observing him will conduct himself with humility toward that flock. Such a pastor will be extremely unlikely to try to “pull rank” on a church member in order to force his agenda. And in setting the agenda of the church, the pastor will realize that he can't just get his way unchallenged; he must answer to his congregation, and allow the agenda of the church to be modified by the congregation as they see fit. Such an environment is safe and healthy for both the pastor and the congregation.
But if we consider a church whose pastor has elevated himself above accountability, a church which has been tricked into giving its pastor absolute authority over the church, a very different picture emerges. First, such a church environment is very damaging to the pastor. There is a famous quote by John Dalberg-Acton, a British historian, who said, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." Interestingly, Acton was a Catholic, and he made this statement in 1870 as a protest against the teaching of papal infallibility by Pope Pius IX. An unrestrained pastor who is able to get whatever he wants in a church environment is like a generator that has been shorted out, whose windings get so hot that they melt and catch fire, ruining the generator. History, and old newspaper records, are full of stories of pastors who thus exalted themselves above their flocks, and were later found guilty of stealing, pornography, adultery, prostitution, and all sorts of other sins related to the abuse of their power. In placing themselves above their flocks, these men removed themselves from the protection of accountability to their flocks, and gave themselves a free range for the indulgence of soul-destroying passions.
The second danger of such a church structure, is, obviously, the danger to the church members. A pastor with unrestrained power and authority over his congregation can use and abuse individual members, waging war unopposed against members he doesn't like, and ruining and ostracizing any member who dares question him. Being exposed to this abusive exercise of power is like being exposed to an electrical arc flash while standing next to a 4,000 amp, 480 volt switchboard without any protective gear, except that in this case, it is the soul of a church member and not his body that is damaged by the “arc flash.”
In my previous posts on evangelicals and ecclesiastical power, I have discussed power dynamics in obvious fringe churches, such as the Geftakys cult, some of the Plymouth Brethren sects, Bill Gothard's “Institute in Basic Life Principles,” and outfits like Doug Phillips' “Vision Forum.” These groups are characterized by very obvious distinctives in church organization and behavior which set them apart from the rest of evangelicalism, and indeed, from the rest of society. Those who observe them for any length of time usually come to the fairly obvious conclusion that “Man, these people are weird!” The structure of these groups is of course the structure of one man or select group of men who have unrestrained, unquestioned authority over all the members of their group. This is deliberate and intentional.
But a refugee from such groups who escapes from such a group and goes out looking for a “healthy church” will find that mainstream evangelical groups are increasingly being structured along this unhealthy pattern. These groups and churches appear quite normal on the outside, trying as hard as possible to project an image of a “relational” place for “seekers.” Their pastors preach in Hawaiian shirts, jeans and sandals, backed by praise bands strumming Taylor guitars whose lead singers often sound like Dan Haseltine clones. (Not that Taylors are evil; I just happen to own a Larrivee or two.) And after the church service, you can find plenty of people to hang out and chill with, while you all sip gourmet coffee. Yet there is a growing movement even among pastors of this sort of church to build an authority structure in which the pastor is elevated above his congregation to a position of absolute authority, above accountability or questioning.
This is as bad as deliberately and intentionally designing an electric power system that is prone to short circuits and arc flash incidents. An engineer who produced such designs would soon find himself in court, his license and stamp stripped away, and even facing jail time. Yet many supposedly mainstream churches are now being set up with a dangerous power structure. I will be examining some of these churches in my next series of posts, as we move away from the fringes and venture out into the mainstream.
Pastors of such churches would say, “You know, you just have to trust the Lord that God put us here in leadership, and that we know what's best.” They would point out the obvious external differences between their churches and the “fringe” groups, and say, “See, we're not like that!” But whenever a church is set up in such a way that one man has absolute, unquestioned authority over his flock, someone's bound to get hurt. Always.
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