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A little while ago, I heard of a rather ironic turn of events at the church I 'left' - elder J had announced his resignation from leadership. Now this is a guy who was so determined to be THE leader that he was willing to bully and abuse his brothers and sisters to achieve it. Of course, the decision to resign was cloaked in the spiritual language of 'feeling led' etc, but it just sounded like spin doctoring from where I stood. At the end of the day people had been sacrificed on the altar of this man's ambition.
But I was reasonably certain that elder R, who had been part of the founding of the church, would never let J take control of what (I conclude) he sees as 'his' church. When it's the same person who is left standing after each and every leadership spill, you can join the dots for yourself...
Why do we keep seeing churches being run like a business? Same cut-throat methods, same 'leadership' style. People damaged without compunction because they are seen as being expendable. Why do people see the church as a place to play politics and create a power base.
Didn't Jesus denounce the religious leaders of his day for acting this way?
Didn't Jesus denounce the religious leaders of his day for acting this way?
There are far too many stories of heartbreak, betrayal and abuse in the one place where everyone should actually be safe! But what should be a place of sanctuary has become a place of danger. How can we keep behaving this way, or allowing this to happen without raising the slightest murmur of alarm?
