Spiritual warfare requires a shepherd, not a “CEO” (ck8) September 5, 2007
Posted by reformedville in : Clergy Killers , 1 comment so farBefore David was a King, he was a shepherd boy. He spent all his days outside caring for the sheep and singing songs to the Lord. He loved the Lord God with all his heart and he was a brave rugged boy too. When a lion or a bear had come after his precious sheep, he chased them down and killed them with nothing but his staff and sling. “This is the one I want”, the Lord told Samuel ,” pour oil on his head and anoint him”.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints ~~Ephesians 6
The realities of spiritual warfare in the church today
While some were put-off by the titling of Clergy Killers , is it because they do not take the reality of evil seriously? This reflects a liberal perspective, which I once held, that evil is nothing more than human foibles—behaviorally challenged people, mistaken opinions, or personality disorders. The corollary to this view is that good negotiation or psychotherapy will be able to manage even the most difficult conflict situations. That is a clinical appraoch only. I have lived in the real world and witnessed real live abused pastors and their families and the collateral damage to congregations caused by persons intentionally perpetrating such trauma, I understand that evil is of a different order of magnitude than disagreements and personality disorders. Further, the distaste of present-day religious leaders for the realities of spiritual warfare allows for the growth of disrespect, violence, and abuse in the community of faith.
A clergy killer does not just disagree or make trouble in a congregation. A clergy killer sabotages, destroys, and abuses intentionally. This is the ancient story of the conflict of good and evil in contemporary form. No matter the denials and subterfuges, a clergy killer targets a spiritual leader who interferes with his agenda for controlling a congregation. Such a person has no interest in rational, respectful dialogue and negotiation and little concern for the damage done by getting his way. He may even pretend to negotiate, but then will go ahead and do what he was going to do anyway. A clergy killer forces conflict to a level of traumatic abuse and violence (viscous accusations, physical attacks, and stalking are not uncommon), for he senses he thereby has a kind of “power” nice people eschew. (A year ago I was involved in try to diffuse a clergy killer who pretended he was seeking a mediation and a denominational official who said he was assembling a team, when in fact it was merely a ruse of a quick power play. My materials were turned over to the faction who was usurping the church by the denominational leader who was the receipient of donations from the perpetrator. Now you can fail to confront evil and pretend it doesn’t exist, but then you enable evil. A man called of God does NOT enable evil, he fights it.)
This viscous level is not recognized by typical conflict resolution methods. Many relegate anything not readily manageable by congregational leaders to “outside consultants.” Except for secular lawyers who are willing to use drastic legal measures, I have seen few professional conflict consultants who were able to manage determined abusers with negotiation methods, namely because they do not have the power required to do so. The person usurping the church, ignoring its by-laws, etc, is not going to cede anything to a neutral party-they will be thwarted if they do. This is just not dealing in reality, a major problem within denominations today.
Many “professional conflict resolution specialists” profess confusion as to who these clergy killers are. Most pastors who have encountered them know the following characteristics: they are very few in number, but they have a canny ability to mobilize unhappy parishioners and intimidate supporters of the pastor with their viciousness; they resort to any artifice to gain their ends; they are unrelenting and typically outlast the pastor’s resources and the willpower of supporters; they depend on the silence of good people and enjoy outwitting the well intentioned; they are unrepentant. This latter characteristic confuses many sincere denominational officials and consultants who do not understand that people who give themselves to evil have no interest in repentance, and therefore relish frightening parishioners who try to forgive and convert them prematurely.
The response to the clergy killer book from emotionally and even physically battered pastors and concerned denominational leaders has kept it on the religious bestseller list since it was published. This is a confirmation that the church should be recognizing abuse of pastors as drastic, and often a function of evil. While I dislike the use of overly dramatic language , it becomes necessary as a wake-up call to a church in denial. Jesus didn’t come to call people names or assess blame, yet on many occasions he had to confront opposing religious leaders and even members of his own inner circle.
Being nice in the face of evil is surrender. We need not stoop to sinful means in stopping evildoers. We need only to be spiritually tough-minded enough to confront prayerfully and intervene when necessary, even as Jesus did. Evil does not change through normal negotiation. Can you imagine Jesus asking his attackers and Herod, or even Pilate, to sit down with him and negotiate their differences? Being nice and trying to negotiate with an intentionally evil parishioner is like trying to negotiate with Slobodan Milosevic in Serbia or Saddam Hussein in Iraq.
The agenda of evil doesn’t change when we are polite and offer to negotiate. Clergy killers specialize in the use of power—the un-nice kind, such as innuendo, threats, and abuse—for they know such power intimidates nice or timid people. Power negotiation is the only type of negotiation that works with intentional evildoers. It begins with an understanding that the damage being inflicted must end, and so opposes unrepentant evil with authority—that of the bible and the denominational polity. If the particular church has a track record with a denominational overseer who literally takes gift from the evil-doer and then does his bidding for him, and all attempts at negotiation break down, it may require seeking an injunction to require an outside authority to intervene. Don’t delude yourself into thinking that just because a organization has the name church on it’s sign-it is. Don’t be an enabler by doing nothing and allowing evil to win, if you do nothing , you enable evil. It must be confronted!
Nice parishioners, pastors, and denominational officials all use power when they want to. Yet for some reason they have not learned the “street smarts” necessary for handling the realities of non-nice people and their tactics. Negotiation is a highly valuable method for dealing with conflict…anywhere. A large proportion of conflict in the church can be dealt with through negotiation. But many conflict managers seem unable to apply street smarts to the contemporary church scene.
The clergy killer is not an illusion, nor someone we can define away. Statistics from Fuller Institute of Church Growth, Christianity Today market research, and the winter 1996 issue of Leadership magazine, indicate that in approximately half of the congregational conflicts where a pastor is abused and forced out, this was accomplished by fewer than ten people, usually only one or two. Also, as Leadership magazine noted, the clergy killer devastation has successfully targeted nearly one-fourth of this nation’s pastors, with well over half of the congregations that force out their pastors having done so before. This escalating pattern of abuse is a shocking indicator of spiritual sickness in the congregations which allow such evil in their midst. We can do better than this.
Denominations who are more concerned that about how many churches they have, rather than if the number they have are churches and operate as one is part of the issue. Another real part is those who feel to oppose and challenge a false church i8s in itself a sin. These are normally counselors and the clinical ehteral types who live in a surreal world with a surreal “religion”, who have no real love for the church, a fight sickens them. Copitualation is a mark of maturity to them. I think Christ and the apostles would disagree.
The abnormal category is much smaller that that of normal conflict (disagreement, personality clashes, diversity, frustration). People with personality disorders and mental ilnesses and those who have difficulty learning acceptable behavior should not be expected to function with the rationality required by a serious negotiation process. This lesson was learned and honored by school and family therapists a generation ago (William Glasser, Virginia Satir, Donald Jackson, Jay Haley, Murray Bowen, Carl Whitaker, and others). They contributed to a family therapy model called “tough love,” which was demonstrated by Jesus with his disciples.
Some basic ingredients of this model are applicable to the abnormal category of conflict in congregations. In this model the whole family (team, committee, congregation) gathers and owns shared responsibility for the dysfunction. The person whose behavior has become the occasion for the shared dysfunction is informed of this problem and is shown an acceptable alternative. All participants agree to make changes necessary for this alternative. Rewards and penalties are established to reinforce acceptable behavior. Then, all participants celebrate progress and family health together, as it develops. Needless to say, prescribing and utilizing a tough love model typically requires trained leaders or psychotherapists. However, a task force, leadership team, or church council can learn and apply this method, with Mathew 18 and Mark 5 as references. The point is that negotiation is seldom effective with people who fit this abnormal category. We must have this added method available.
Let me be clear on this point: Intervention is not an ad hoc process. It is a serious, intentional, last resort in the face of unrepentant evil. We may name this category of conflict spiritual warfare, for the clergy killer is symptomatic of spiritual anarchism. In the gospels Jesus used what has been termed exorcism to cast out “demons.” This term has become archaic and confusing, even though the process it names is valuable. So we can simply call it an intervention, for it closely resembles the intervention model developed in substance abuse treatment. This method is exceptionally valuable for cases where a dysfunctional or intentionally evil person persists in destructiveness and abuse. In fact, this is the only generic model likely to be effective with clergy killers and such. Therefore, a competent conflict consultant and a fully functioning congregation and denomination need to have this method available.
The intervention model requires honesty in assessing the dysfunction that is causing the devastation. It also requires the ability to gather resources effective in stopping the perpetrator, to empower a treatment team, to employ the treatment for the perpetrator along with recovery support for victims of the abuse, to maintain a recovery and accountability regime after treatment, and to celebrate and reinforce the recovery. Further, this method must contain a corollary process for separating the perpetrator from any potential to continue the damage.
Like the tough love model, intervention requires trained leaders or therapists for implementation. Applying it to the clergy killer phenomenon, however, is neither irregular nor complicated. The requirements are honesty, spiritual discipline, denominational policy, and the biblical formulas along with the spiritual tough-mindedness and legitimate authority to impose this remedy.However, this may also be a fantasy, few churchmen today are men enough to stand up to the determined .
To the conflict resolution specialist we must ask them to go beyond secular systems theory and develop your conflict management model on the basis of the spiritual incarnation paradigm to be effective in dealing with the root of the problem. Jesus initiated a model in his being and in his teachings. In John 15:1-6 he speaks of himself as the vine and his followers as the branches. Then in verse five he speaks more organically of this connection by saying we are in him and he is in us. In this same chapter he even establishes the intervention model for dealing with intentionally evil persons, in the strictest form, by teaching that God removes branches which do not bear fruit. In the Epistles the Apostle Paul insists on the incarnation model of the church in multiple passages, such as 1 Cor. 3:16-17 and 6:19-20, Eph. 4:1-16, and Phil. 2:5.
I challenge members in churches to stand up to those who are destroying their churches through blackmail and intimidation and calls for false unity. One of the common rallying calls is the church can’t make it without so and so, if they leave the church finances go with them. Well then you don’t have a church anyway! You have a club who depends on a few supporters and will tolerate anything to keep it going, which is nothing more than a convenient tax shelter. You have no faith in Jesus Christ to provide for you if you sit quietly by. What you are trying to save, you already have lost-you are just too blind to see it.
To the lay leader or elder, this is what happens in the polity correct church when men of God allow themselves to be swayed by the well meaning. You were called of God to a position of shepherding the flock. You are charged of God to fulfill that duty and to protect the sheep. You must fight the wolves to protect the sheep. Don’t tell the shepherd to flee just because the wolf is in your midst. Be a man of God and prepare yourself for battle. If you have enabled in the past, repent. Peace at all cost is not biblical and is not true peace. You are to support a shepherd who is wrongfully attacked . If you are not willing to protect your flocks and fight wolves at all costs, tender your resignation. If you don’t want a shepherd ,why even bother having church at all?
We were forewarned! (ck 7) September 5, 2007
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Removal at any cost (ck6) September 5, 2007
Posted by reformedville in : Clergy Killers , add a commentThe misguided religious leaders lead the crowds to treat the messenger as dung to be shoveled out of the way so they may retain control of the heart strings of their society. In Acts 13: 42-52, we see Paul in one of his confrontations with evil as he sought to pioneer the gospel message in Pisidian Antioch. Spiritual breakthrough was coming, but at the cost of a bitter battle with a strongly established religious system, or spirit, that resisted the invasion of the good news.
It is worthwhile to take a closer look at this verse. In it we find the strategy of Satan to stop the Message from penetrating the hearts of people who would otherwise receive it warmly. When we understand this often used method of darkness, we can develop counter measures and overcome it in Jesus’ name.
Paul came and presented the gospel on the leading of the Holy Spirit. He preached once and the following Sabbath nearly the whole city came together to hear the Word of the Lord. The presence of God was in his preaching and hungry hearts flocked to hear the messenger speak of their creator.
When the established spiritual leaders saw the multitudes run to these words of salvation by faith, it set in motion the destructive process of the religious spirit. A religious spirit is often seen in those who were once cisterns of godly understanding, but did not remain fountains of living water. They live more on past reputation than on a present walk with Christ. At one time they were a place for many to go for plentiful refreshment. But, something tragic happened in their lives. They became a stagnant pool, and over time, slowly dried up from within. Eventually their claim to ministry became only a mirage in the desert. On close inspection they are old wells with no water. Now only form, tradition and the caked, curled pads of sandy religion are called life’s oasis.
This sad commentary plays out everywhere. Thirsty people want the refreshing word of God in Jesus. But, for too many looking for the water, they are given grains of human dust in the Savior’s name. Parched in a dry land, they walk on in their quest for that which quenches their thirst. Religion misrepresents the Savior and people die.
Let’s take note of the “Religious spirit” in process. There are three stages that are repeated with devastating results. In Paul’s case it took only days for it to respond. In today’s world, it can take months or even years to mature. It is one of the most power wiles of the enemy that rises up when the pure gospel is presented by men and women sent by God.
The first phase of opposition is anger displayed by visible religious leaders. According to this passage, it is motivated by some form of jealousy. Perhaps they envy the anointing of the Lord upon the man of God. Certainly, they do see the end of their time of ruling and controlling, as Sanballat did in the book of Nehemiah. Whatever the motivation, this jealousy is fierce and full of punitive energy (v 45). Since religious leaders express it, no one expects it to be so vile or birthed in the cauldron of demons. But it is, and the true goal is not correction, it is removal of the messenger by any means.
It moves from anger to mockery and gossip. The inner heart of envy begins to control the tongue. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. At first, the words are poured out with a syrupy sweetness of concern for the messenger, “I love them and only want to help.” Then these sentences of love are interrupted by stinging comments, slyly imbedded into each conversation. The statements are hardly noticed at first, for they are subliminal in nature. In time, the comments grow into accusing stories of abuse or sin. The Greek word used in verse 45 for “speak against” has an interesting progression of its own. It takes baby steps by declining to obey the messenger. It matures by declaring one’s self personally at odds with him. In the end, these false leaders refuse to have anything to do with them, because they are just too evil. An unholy arrogance settles in like rigormortis, causing them to distance themselves from God’s true ministers.
Phase one is completed by turning gossip into open, defiant blasphemy of the individual. An open battle of words and actions begin. The ancient word “blaspheme” can have a feeling without definition. It means to slander, defame and to vilify a person. If the destruction and removal of the messenger is going to be possible, their good must be turned into evil. So, false spiritual leaders see evil intent in the messenger’s words, actions and thoughts. They believe that God’s Spirit is revealing these heinous dark secrets only to them. It is their honest belief that the Holy One is directing them to point these faults out to others so that others won’t be deceived. They are driven to “make things right” at any cost, telling everyone of the messenger’s sin, as God has unveiled it privately to them. It is crucifixion by words. Each conversation is now laden with vilification, as the messenger is repeatedly defamed. More and more ready listeners of such gossip, who easily accept the story from such “godly” people are impacted. The truth is, that the false leaders are the ones who are being deceived and being used of the enemy in the name of the Lord. You cannot stand against God’s anointed and be right.
It now moves from getting angry to getting followers. A messenger of God is finished when there is a rejection of his message. When this decision is being made, the battle for the crowd is the most fierce. Some listen carefully and are changed. Some give ear to the religious spirit and band together to organize the final directive. In verse 50 the religious leaders “stir up” specific targeted individuals. Their arrogant spirit of superiority and false sense of indignant rightness infects those around them. Followers are solicited. They are incited to hostility and begin to believe that their group solidarity is a sign of God’s approval to carry out the final act. It must be understood that having many do things in unison is not the same as having unity in the Spirit of God. Misguided crowds often do more wrongs while believing in their rightness, in the name of unity. To a large portion of society, might makes right and majority rules. To God, only His word is truth.
Take note of the individuals that are singled out for use of the this spirit. They are the devout, the honorable women and chief men of the congregation. This should give all church leader great pause. Their high position makes them targets for rebellion. Perhaps it would be wisdom to train elders, deacons and other leaders of the congregation that not only do they accept powerful positions in the church, but they invite the temptations of darkness to provoke rebellion against the messengers of God.
The devout are the most involved, the most respected and the most influential in the congregation. Since the word “devout” is inclusive of adoration and worship it may indicate that the popular and admired in the group are especially susceptible to the flattering words of this spirit. If they start to believe they have a following and are particularly favored, watch out.
“Honorable women” are the first important victims to include in the company of the discontent. Women highly influence men. The Greek language describes these two words as well formed, shapely women that are graceful and comely. Their good standing of influence, wealth and respectability give them extraordinary power with the masses. They can easily manipulate the men around them. Especially chosen for their rank, looks and ability to express themselves in speech, they can tip the scales in critical moments.
After convincing the decorous and elegant women, it next moves to the chief men of the gathering. It does not take many, perhaps only five or six men of rank and authority to complete the ensemble. It is now time to strike.
The stage is set for Phase three of the intrusion of the religious spirit. Religion and the true message of God do not dwell together in unity. Either this captivity of darkness is broken or the messenger is expelled in violence. After anger has seethed itself to the surface and followers are solidified, it is the moment to get them out. The messenger is personally persecuted (v 50) for his message and cast from its shores.
The final disposition of rejection of the gospel moves from persecution to expulsion. In the New Testament, expulsion took many forms - all violent. These violent actions commanded people to leave, to be beaten, to be abused, and even included the ultimate rejection of murder. This is expulsion from the shore of humanity. The Greek word here has many meanings that when combined together give us a comprehensive insight into what takes place to the messenger of God. It means to be cast out or driven out with the motion of violence. It is a banishing from a family, a putting out of society. The social world of those expelled is taken from them. The gospel bearer may be led to the edges of town with a force he cannot resist, rejected with contempt, such as they did to Jesus. Many fight back in hopes of winning, but to no avail. The word “expel” paints a vivid picture. Its Greek definition is graphic, it means, “the excrement from the belly into the toilet.” The misguided religious leaders lead the crowds to treat the messenger as dung to be shoveled out of the way so they may retain control of the heart strings of their society.
This poignant moment of the rejection of God’s messenger and his message is both traumatic and sad. The resistors are exalted in the company of the discontent, but their ears are deafened to the Holy Spirit. Their hearts are hardened to the presence of Christ and the miraculous is left undone. A sickening silence settles over the masses. Religion rules, but the river of life goes elsewhere. A dry and thirsty land is firmly established. Now you have a congregation without the grace, and a church without the freedom of God. All of this begs the question, “Will Jesus pass this way again?” In God’s mercy will they get another chance? Only He knows.
It is to be noted to shepherds, that there is a last rite to be performed before you move on to your next assignment of the Lord. Jesus trained the Apostles in this act and Paul carried it out quickly. “They shook off the dust of their feet against them, and come unto Iconium.” This seemingly useless act needs far more consideration. It is more than symbolic. It is a spiritual necessity. It expresses extreme contempt for the powerful rejection of God’s Word and declares an end to dealings with those individuals. Its purpose is to also bring about cleansing of oneself from the filth of the demonic tampering with mankind.
Worldwide, this pattern of enemy intrusion is repeated over and over with great success. It can be defeated, first by recognizing it and standing against it in the mighty name of Jesus. The hearts of the hearers are the battleground. When the hearers stand up and say, “No more!” then a breakthrough is imminent. For the religious spirit always stands in the portal of passage into a grand new work of the Holy Spirit. It is one of the last barriers before Revival
Spiritual Abuse by the body (ck 5) September 5, 2007
Posted by reformedville in : Clergy Killers , add a commentThe abuse series to this juncture has focused primarily on the strong leader/manipulator/authoritarian. There have been some examples that are hair raising. But in all fairness if we are to examine an issue there are many facets to the gem of abuse and it is not merely one of the strong leader.
As a preachers kid and a former church leader, I have seen many other types of spiritual abuse that concerns me every bit as much as the ones we have covered thus far. They aren’t as sexy, not as news worthy, but they are every bit as abusive and sinful. Pastors have a duty to their flocks but how often today do we make it nearly impossible for them to perform their task and feed them to the wolves so we can have our ears tickled?
Prophets were called by God not so much to foretell the future, but rather to point to what God was doing in the here and now. Prophets were God’s mouthpiece. Remember the call of Jeremiah. When God said to Jeremiah: “I have appointed you as a prophet to the nations”, Jeremiah responded: “Ah, Lord, I do not know how to speak: I am a child”. God then said: “Do not say, ‘I am a child’. Go now to those to whom I send you and say whatever I command you”. Then God touched Jeremiah’s mouth and said : “There, I am putting my words into your mouth.” (1:4-10).
But it wasn’t easy for these men to be God’s mouthpiece because all too often the word God was placing in their heart was not a word that the people wanted to hear.
The Prophet Amos Amos is often called the prophet of social justice because he railed against the excesses of the rich.When Amos lived, the Kingdom of Israel had been divided in two kingdoms (the south was called Judah and the north Israel) and neither liked the other, not unlike the situation that existed in America during the Civil War. Amos was a most unlikely candidate to be called by God to speak his word.He was a young shepherd lad and a migrant worker with very little education and absolutely no tact. (”In-your-face” types of people could easily choose Amos as their patron saint). He lived in the south and was sent by God to speak a thunderous word to the Yankees up north. Jeroboam was King in the northern Kingdom and Israel had reached the peak of its power and prosperity.
“When Amos, the lay prophet, and missionary, arrived in the north, there was pride (6:13-14), plenty and splendor in the land, elegance in the cities and might in the palaces. The wealthy adorned their summer and winter residences with costly ivory (3:15) and their couches with damask pillows (3:12) on which they lolled to enjoy sumptuous feasts. They planted pleasant vineyards and anointed themselves with precious, fragrant oils (6:4-6; 5:11). Their women, whom Amos called “fat cows of Bashan,” drank wine from bowls (4:1). Due to the sharp contrast between poor and rich and the fact that the wealthy seemed unconcerned for their less fortunate contemporaries, Amos was sent by God to decry the injustice of it all; “you do not even know how to do right” (3:10), he accused. Because of this, he said, the poor are afflicted, exploited and even sold into slavery (2:6-8; 5:11), and corrupt judges (5:12) do nothing to correct the situation.Because he was bold enough to deliver such an unpopular message to such an unwelcoming people, Amos very quickly became persona non grata in Israel. As is reflected in today’s first reading, Amaziah, the priest at one of the northern shrines, tried to banish him and silence his message. In the verses immediately preceding this text, the readers of Amos are told that the priest even accused the prophet of conspiracy against the king and sent a message to Jeroboam to that effect. Then he denounced Amos, telling him to go and prophesy in his own land of Judah. (Patricia Sanchez)Amaziah was like a Presbyter or Monsignor in the local cathedral or parish, that had considerable wealth. His people would have resented this southern uncouth fellow yelling at them coming out of their cathedral. You can imagine Monsignor Amaziah in his fine robes rushing over to Amos and saying:
“Off with you visionary (crazy guy), flee to the south__. And don’t ever again set your feet in Bethel (on these cathedral grounds). My people are not interested in your hell-fire and brimstone sermons.”
The last thing Monsignor Amaziah needed was an unpolished upstart from the south making his decent people feel uncomfortable about their lifestyle.
It has been well said that the role of the prophet is to “afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted.” Amos saw a people with much luxury ignore the poor in their midst. Worse still, he saw how the rich became wealthy by mistreating the poor. God hated their worship services. God through Amos says:
“I hate and despise your feasts, I take no pleasure in your solemn festivals. I reject your sacrifices. Let me hear no more of your chanting_ _ _ But rather let justice flow like water and integrity like an unfailing stream.” 5:21
The life of Amos, a very ordinary layman reminds us that God can call and use the most ordinary person to be his spokes person and to deliver his message of justice to the world. No one listened to Amos. After a few months he returned to his shepherding and sycamore job in the south and probably thought he was a absolute failure. But his message influenced later generations of Israelites and thousands of advocates of social justice ever since. Amos did not look for the ministry of prophecy, but neither did he shy away from it when called by God.
As I lead into the examination of congregations and church leadership who abuse pastors, think about how we treat our pastors as hirelings when they were called to be bond-servants of Jesus Christ, not employees of a corporate church.
The modus operandi of pathological antagonists (ck 4) September 5, 2007
Posted by reformedville in : Clergy Killers , add a commentEvery church and ministry has to deal with personality conflicts and intermittent discord. The writer of this book considers that normal. However, what he deals with in The Wounded Minister is the “growing phenomenon”, “major problem approaching crisis proportions” of “pathological antagonists” and their allies and sympathizes who launch systematic and sustained attacks on the leader of a church or ministry.
Dr. Kenneth Haugk, a clinic psychologist, defines pathological antagonists as “individuals who, on the basis of non-substantive evidence, go out of their way to make insatiable demands, usually attacking the person or performance of others. These attacks are selfish in nature, tearing down rather than building up, and are frequently directed against those in a leadership capacity.”
G. Llloyd-Rediger describes these antagonists as “clergy killers”, who have as their one major objective, to abuse or hurt the minister to the degree that they will leave the ministry. Rediger notes that this abuse is “increasing in epidemic proportions … it is a phenomenon that is verified by both research and experience.” He identifies clergy killers as “people who intentionally target pastors for serious injury or destruction.”
COMMON FEATURES
These researchers have noted certain common features in the modus operandi of pathological antagonists.
1. There is always a set of problems in the church or ministry which serves as a background. The antagonist begins identifying the minister as the cause of the problems. (These problems may include finance, inter-staff conflict, a mailing, a popular staff person resigning, “it does not really matter what the problems are” - in most cases, the minister is blamed).
2. “One person seems to get the criticism train rolling. One person takes it upon himself to begin pointing out these ‘serious problems that are hurting our church.’ Phone calls are made … letters are written … “
3. “Often the person who leads the complaint charge takes several weeks, maybe months, to marshal sympathetic support for his position. Unsuspecting people begin to wonder whether there may be some truth to the complainers accusations.”
4. “In many cases the initial accuser enlists a few key leaders to plan some meetings to be held at his or a sympathizers home. These meetings are secret, that is ‘invitation only’ meetings of people who the accuser believes will agree with his accusations. The primary purpose is to gather support for the eventual attack on their minister … gathering additional evidence that the minister is to blame for the church’s problems. Meticulous notes are usually taken by the accuser or one he designates to do this”.
5. “They will try to build a paper trail of accusations with which to charge the minister with inefficiency, poor leadership, lazy work habits, questionable moral behavior or unChristian attitude. An often-heard complaint is ‘oh, it’s not so much what he does or says that is so bad, it’s the way he does or says it.’ The way is seldom explained; it is just assumed to be bad, unhealthy, conflicting, in appropriate, unkind or harsh.”
6. ”The accusing leader plans his attack very carefully … he turns on his charm to win the friendship and support” of key people.
7. “The clergy killer knows he must work through recognized authority … to accomplish his goal of getting rid of the minister. When he knows he has their backing, he will move swiftly, with careful calculation.”
8. “The attack has actually been going on for some time, but the clergy killer, when the time is right, gets his plan of attack on the agenda of the official board of his church. He arranges for the minister not to be present.”
9. “At this crucial meeting, the clergy killer lays his charges before the assembled body of lay leaders. He will use ‘statistics’ to bolster his accusations.”
10. “When the statistics are interpreted negatively, the finger of blame is pointed at the minister. The bottom line of the charges is very simple: if we get rid of our minister, all of our problems will be solved.”
11. “He will probably try to get a special committee appointed (hopefully his friends) to visit the minister in his office as soon as possible to pressure him to resign quietly ‘for the sake of the church’s unity and future’. By this time … many ministers have been so harassed and worn out emotionally by all the accusations (by phone calls, letters … personal visits and rumors) that they will go as quickly and quietly as possible.”
12. “It is possible that open conflict will explode … “
13. “The abused clergy person usually goes into a clinic depression … his wife and children also feel rejected … the ‘collateral damage’ can be quite heavy and devastating.”
14. “Abused clergy are frequently abandoned and treated as if they ‘now have some dread disease, and their friends, colleagues and superiors keep their distance. Rarely does anyone come to their aid.”
Characteristics of Pathological Antagonists
Who are these clergy killers? “These are not normal people, average complainers, critics and typical dissidents who are generally unhappy about life itself … they are deadly and have a knack for gathering a following of ordinary folk with common complaints and disagreements in the church. They can easily create the illusion that there are hordes of people against the pastor. They are masters at using the tyrannical they in their comments: ‘They are very unhappy about …’ or the illusive people: ‘people are saying that ….’ These are verbal instruments in the arsenal that they use to destroy a minister.”
Dr. Greenfield describes pathological antagonists/clergy killers, as persons with “a very mean spirited disposition … they are destructive. The damage that they want to inflict is intentional and deliberate. They are not out simply to disagree … they want to inflict pain and damage persons. … clergy killers are determined. They are headstrong and will stop at nothing. They may pause for a time, change strategies, even go underground to reconnoitre, but they will come back with a vengeance to continue the intimidation, networking and breaking all rules of decency to accomplish their destructive objectives. For them, their plans have priority over all other programmes of the church. These persons are deceitful … masters of manipulation, camouflage, misrepresentation and accusing others of their own atrocious deeds … experts at twisting facts. … maybe mentally disordered, but they do not yield to patience or love, nor do they honor human decency. Apparently clergy killers carry around a lot of internal pain, confusion, anger, and even rage. Spiritual leaders … become available scapegoats for this pain and confusion, which is unidentified and untreated.”
“Clergy killers are masters of intimidation, using it to violate the rules of decency and caring that most Christians try to follow. Intimidation is a powerful weapon … therefore, ministers and their supporters are easily intimidated by these persuasive and charming religious assailants. Clergy killers are experts of disguise when they see it would be to their advantage. They are able to present themselves as pious, devout and spiritual church members, who are doing their destructive work ‘for the good of the church to advance God’s Kingdom.’ They can convince naïve church members that they are raising legitimate issues. These religious monsters often hide among their allies of opportunity … they openly intimidate any opposition by making it clear that they will fight dirty and use any tactic to accomplish their goals. Gentle and peace-at- any-price church members are quickly sidelined by such threats, leaving ministers and those who support them to cope with the problem the best way they can.”
“Clinically speaking, … they may possess distinct personality disorders … anti-social, borderline paranoid, narcissistic … others have learnt to throw tantrums to get their selfish ways. They’ve learnt how to distract, confuse, lie and seduce to do harm to the vulnerable.”
“Clergy killers wound or destroy either by direct attacks or by inciting others to inflict the wounds. Sometimes they induce victims to self-destruct, by harassing them to the point of frustration and anger. … it only takes one or two in the church to create havoc and bedlam. Because these people live in denial as to their true nature, they would not see themselves in this chapter, even if they were to read it. Clergy killers have surrounded and insulated themselves with a whole array of defense mechanisms and justifications for their actions. They firmly believe that what they are doing in harming and terminating a minister is the right thing to do. For them, it is the will of God. Nevertheless, they are sick and mean people.”
What is a Pathological Antagonist?
A pathological antagonist is an intransigent person of antagonistic disposition.
1. “The arguments of a pathological antagonist are usually found in little or terribly misrepresented evidence … quibbling over petty details, offering strong proof of irrelevant points … exaggerating the position of one’s opponent … making an accusation that cannot be disproved and then claiming that this makes it true … outright lying or falsification. An antagonist, in his attempt to make the kill, will take certain facts and so twist them that they are blatantly false when presented. In time he convinces himself that his twisted facts are true.”
2. Pathological antagonists are ‘”hyper-sensitive to any word or action, even trivial oversights, so that he takes these things as a personal attack and responds aggressively.”
3. “The pathological antagonist is never satisfied. His demands are insatiable. No amount of accommodation on the ministers part will ever suffice. Attempts at appeasement will not calm him down, but will encourage him to make more demands. … he is persistent and unstoppable.”
4. “The pathological antagonist will lead a campaign of attack on the minister … not trying to give constructive criticism … his goal is nothing short of control, no matter what it may cost the minister or the church. The antagonist is so full of rage that he feels compelled to attack the enemy (the minister) until he is destroyed (terminated and eliminated from the scene).”
5. “This person probably has a God problem. He feels some deep-seated anger towards God for some reason out of his past experiences. Because it is difficult to show anger directly towards God, the pathological antagonist chooses the minister, the ‘man of God’, as his target. Sometimes this anger is guilt-driven (possibly due to some hidden sin) … a smokescreen to cover his own moral indiscretions.”
6. “The attacking behavior of a pathological antagonist is selfish in nature … this person is rarely interested in authentic spiritual goals. If one rationale no longer works to his advantage, he will devise another … his stated reasons for opposition are a ruse for his own hidden agenda. What he really wants is power, control, status and authority.”
7. “The attacks … are for destruction rather than construction. The antagonists’ actions divide the church; they do not pull the people together.”
Dr. Greenfield distinguishes between four types of pathological antagonists.
Hard-core Antagonists
“Seriously disturbed people … out of touch with reality … paranoid … which is not easy to detect … can appear normal either some or most of the time … incredible persistence and an extreme desire to make trouble, even enjoying their sadistic inclinations. One can easily spot one of these individuals by the smirk often seen on his face, especially noticeable after he makes a cynical or snide remark … hard-core antagonists will go to any length and expense to wreck havoc on their targets … they are fighting a Jihad, a holy war, and the minister is the enemy. They believe they are doing God a favor. Their inner rage is baptized with the aura of holy zeal. Without a doubt, the hard-core antagonist is slippery and dangerous. He cannot be reasoned with. The Apostle Paul may have had this kind of people in mind when he warned the Ephesian elders about ‘savage wolves’ infiltrating the congregation and ‘not sparing the flock’ (Acts 20:28-29).”
Major Antagonists
Not as severely disturbed. “If the hard-core antagonist cannot be reasoned with because of emotional instability, the major antagonist refuses to be reasoned with. Reason is within his capacity, but he knows that if he uses it, he may be defeated or proved wrong. So, to protect his position, he simply refuses to be reasonable and his demands are insatiable. This individual probably has a character or personality disorder, seen in the heavy load of anger he carries about … personality problems … deep-seated. A major antagonist does not want to change, since change is threatening to him. He has built a defensive wall around himself, labeled ‘I am right, what I’m doing is right’.”
Moderate Antagonists
Lack the self-starting quality of the first two types … the moderate antagonist initiates trouble only if the opportunity presents itself – however, he will quickly follow a hard-core or a major antagonist in causing trouble – but he lacks the perseverance of the other two. He has personality problems, but they are not as severe as those of the hard-core or the major types.
Well-intentioned Dragons
They have goals which may “allegedly be in the best interests of the church, but their methods and attitudes are still those of a dragon, doing more harm than good, undermining the ministry of the church without intending to do so.”
Dr. Greenfield notes that while all of the above four types are “malevolent in both intent and effect.. I’m distinguishing here somewhat between degrees of meanness.”Dr. Greenfield also clearly distinguishes between persistent activists who are devoted to a worthy cause, for example – the Pro-Life / Anti-abortion crusade. Activists are “issue orientated, not person centered as the pathological antagonists are.”“Pathological antagonists possess an insatiable desire to drag problems out interminably, eventually wearing down the target of opposition. Pathological antagonists precipitate conflict that is unhealthy and destructive.”Pathological antagonists are “negative and critical … legalistic and intransigent … quick to point out other’s faults and shortcomings … well-known for its judgmental attitude … very picky about trivial details … one long story of unhappiness …”
Dr. Greenfield writes: “Over the years I have noticed that persons who tended to be failures in their chosen careers were inclined to come into the church and take key leadership roles while exercising a strong controlling modus operandi … although they were failures outside the church, they could be somewhat important in the church.”
Allies of Pathological Antagonists
“A pathological antagonist tends to attract certain followers. Without them, the antagonist’s efforts would fizzle. He usually does not have the courage to go it alone. He needs followers to bolster his campaign against the minister … calculating in his enlistment of a small band of followers. Each had a personal axe to grind … the passive nature of other church leaders simply allowed this to happen.”
The Wounded Minister also notes that the greatest ally of pathological antagonists, and the greatest enemy of spiritual leaders, are the passive.
He quotes Cicero: “There are two kinds of injustice: the first is found in those who do an injury, the second in those who fail to protect another from injury when they can.”
Those who do an injury are motivated either by meanness or psychopathy. Those who stand by and allow it to happen are motivated either by cowardice or indifference.
Edmund Burke noted: “All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.”
Those who are intimidated by powerful and persuasive antagonists enable clergy abuse. The antagonists see this passivity as an open invitation to continue their assaults and they become even more bloodthirsty.
It is also noted that, while the targets of the antagonist are frequently too busy to do their homework and respond to the vast amount of accusations, the pathological antagonists always have an excessive amount of free time. “The antagonist have tended to be retired people … with a lot of free time on their hands …, the antagonists had plenty of time to plan their strategy, organize their supporters, hold secret meetings with their friends and spend numerous hours telephoning people to get the vote out for key meetings.”
When the minister can come up with the documentation and the facts to refute any number of the accusations thrown at him, the antagonist simply changes the subject and tries another attack. There are normally no apologies or any acknowledgement of the damage they have done.
“This reminds me of the typical hit and run driver who never pays for his crime. Unlike the driver, however, the antagonist enjoys doing this sort of thing.”
Biblical Precedents
The classical Biblical precedent is Judas Iscariot. Judas was the treasurer of the disciples, obviously a trusted person. “Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot.” Luke 22:3. It is not incidental that the basic meaning of Satan is “accuser”, which is the primary role of an antagonist.
The Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 10-13 of: “False apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ” ; “Super apostles” who have a “different spirit” and are embroiling the church in “quarreling, jealousy, anger, selfishness, slander, gossip, conceit and disorder.” The Apostle Paul writes that his ministry had been for “building up and not for tearing down.” Paul rebukes the Corinthian Christians for not having defended him in the face of these antagonists.
Another Biblical example is Diotrephes written about in John’s third letter. John characterized this antagonist as one “who liked to put himself first” and “does not acknowledge our authority.” Diotrephes was “spreading false charges against us.”
John concludes with this appeal: “Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but imitate what is good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God.”
Collateral Damage to the Church
The underhand tactics of pathological antagonists are “a lot like throwing a hand grenade … it may wound or kill the minister, but a lot of other people and other aspects of the church’s ministry will be damaged or destroyed as well. A sad note about this is that pathological antagonists don’t really care what damage they do.”
Those involved in angry, grumpy, critical and disgruntled gossip sessions and those trying to placate them will naturally have little time left for serious spiritual work. “A major casualty of minister abuse is the church’s evangelistic outreach.” But “antagonists are always right. Loss of members, contributions and spiritual fervor is for the self-appointed judges of the ministry, always the ministers fault.”
“Churches that abuse their ministers are not growing churches. They either stagnate or eventually die, if not in numbers, at least in spirit.”
Wounded ministers observes that “when a church is more concerned with its internal operations … than it is with ministry, it becomes vulnerable … churches that are more committed to winning new converts and discipling them in the faith … will be less vulnerable to Satan’s attacks. Outreach, evangelism, ministry and missions will keep a congregation on its knees in prayer. Satan can more easily invade a church that is consumed with secondary matters.”
The Curse of Appeasement
“When the good, prayerful, dedicated, loving lay leaders are afraid of conflict in the church and have no stomach for challenging” pathological antagonists, they “will choose a philosophy of appeasement rather than reasonable confrontation …” However, when targets plead for help to those not involved in the campaign of hate, they are normally “met with unbelief that there were any evil intentions to get rid of the minister.”
This naiveté fuels and encourages the pathological antagonist to press on with his obsessive campaign.
Scriptural Solutions
Dr. Greenfield writes: “The Bible wisely sets limits on the criticism of a minister. Paul directed Timothy in the churches under his charge: ‘never accept any accusation against an elder, except on the evidence of two or three witness. As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest also may stand in fear.’” 1 Timothy 5:19-20. Legitimate accusations must be supported by two or three witnesses, and must be clearly recognized as sinful behavior by the church. If these criteria are not met, Paul implies that the accuser must be rebuked for violating Scriptural standards.”
“A single witness shall not suffice to convict a person of any crime or wrong doing in connection with any offense that may be committed. Only on the evidence of two or three witnesses shall a charge be sustained. If a malicious witness comes forward to accuse someone of wrongdoing, then both parties to the dispute shall appear before the Lord … the judges shall make a thorough enquiry. If the witness is a false witness, having testified falsely against another, then you shall do to the false witness just as a false witness had meant to do the other. So you shall purge the evil from your midst. The rest shall hear and be afraid.” Deuteronomy 19:15-20
Extracts from The Wounded Minister – healing from and preventing personal attacks by Dr. Guy Greenfield, published by Baker, 2002
“But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless. Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition, knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned.” Titus 3:9-11
Five Stage Process of Injury and Recovery (ck3) September 5, 2007
Posted by reformedville in : Clergy Killers , add a commentThe Turmoil
During this time, spiritual enemies seem to gain a foothold in the church. There are subtle changes in attitude toward the minister. Once he was held in esteem, but now there are conflicts and discontentment expressed toward certain aspect of his work or life. The spiritual battle increases in intensity almost daily. Pressure on the pastor and confrontations with certain people grow worse, with no satisfactory resolution. Even fasting and prayer often fail to turn things around. The particular events that cause the turmoil vary from church to church, and pastor to pastor, but this stage is a common one in most stories I’ve heard.
The Trauma
Eventually, the opposition that’s been partially hidden comes to a head. Open conflict breaks out, or secret meetings take place. Either way, it leads to the resignation or termination of the minister. As a result, there is deep emotional damage. The pastor, spouse and family experience an overwhelming sense of rejection and disbelief. The extent of the injury varies, depending on how ugly things become before the pastor is forced out. It may range from a minor scratch on the heart to complete soul crucifixion. Sleeplessness and depression are common, and often bring a minister and spouse to the point of despair.2
The Aftershock
This phase is much like the smaller tremors that follow a major earthquake. It is characterized by great fear and concerns about practical matters. As time goes on, the minds of the minister and spouse are pummeled by earthshaking questions—many more questions than answers: What just happened? How could this happen to us? How are we going to support ourselves? Where are we going to live? Who can we trust?
They feel alone, facing problems they never anticipated. It’s at this time that the pastor and spouse need to find help; but, they’ve focused on giving their lives to help others, and it’s difficult to shift that focus to their own needs. Even if they want assistance, little help is available. The crisis eventually affects every aspect of their lives: their spiritual and emotional state, their financial condition, and their physical health.
They experience something similar to the grief cycle people go through when a loved one dies. They go from denial to acceptance of their situation. They walk through a minefield of painful and challenging emotions and experiences. This Aftershock chapter in their lives may last up to two years.
It is important for injured ministry couples to seek help, no matter how difficult that may be. An assessment of the damage, both emotional and physical, is crucial. Sleeplessness and depression often result in other problems if immediate action is not taken. The pain and complications don’t go away on their own.
The Hidden Battle
The damage that began months or years earlier in the Turmoil quietly spreads into the everyday life of wounded shepherds. This phase is unseen by all but the most discerning. Major problems—such as where to move, how to earn a living, etc.—may appear to be behind them; but the resulting pain has burrowed underground to continue its destruction.
Spiritual enemies seek to extinguish the flame of faith and desire for ministry by using two powerful weapons: isolation and condemnation. The minister and spouse feel alone, perhaps no longer intimately involved in the lives of other believers, or comfortable around “successful clergy couples.” They’re tempted to mentally replay their failures. “Maybe if we were more holy or more loving we wouldn’t have lost our ministry.” They struggle with guilt feelings. Self-doubt and frustration plague them. They desperately grasp at solutions that seem to offer hope, but to no avail.
This stage can involve a kind of temporary blindness. A minister and spouse may lose sight of God’s faithfulness and grace, of their gifts and calling, or of any likelihood of a positive future. If they do have dreams of future ministry, they often can’t find the motivation or power to accomplish them. Soon after new pursuits begin, dreams evaporate. They feel paralyzed by an invisible force, held in , hemmed in by feelings of loneliness and betrayal. They can’t get beyond the memories of injustice. And they’re plagued with the nagging question, “Will God ever use us again?”
Some languish in this stage for a long time. One minister told me he was stuck there for over twenty years. Misguided individuals may exacerbate the situation by saying, “Oh, so-and-so left the ministry.” But real shepherds can never leave the ministry. God’s gifts and call are without repentance.
Paul spoke of a Divine compulsion to minister when he said, “necessity is laid hold on me….”3 He’d been “grabbed by God” and God wouldn’t let him go. So it is with the wounded minister. He may not serve in a formal church, but his calling compels him to serve. Injured pastors don’t need pity; they need respect, healing and deliverance. Our work is to set them free to serve again, wherever God leads: inside the institutional church, in a home fellowship, or in some other unexpected place.
The Reconstruction Phase
Wounded shepherds need to begin to minister again, even if they never again do so in a formal church setting. Healing for injured ministry couples requires affirmation. No matter what led to a termination, they need encouragers who will come alongside them and recognize that a gracious God is working to restore them. They need loyal friends who will affirm them as “full-fledged ministers” even if they serve outside of a traditional ministry mold. Though a person’s “professional ministry career” may have been bulldozed, God can reconstruct a future ministry out of the rubble.
I sometimes compare the rejection of a pastor, and what follows, to a Joseph’s Pit Experience.4 It is filled with danger and pain, caused by the rejection of brothers and sisters (compare how Joseph suffered the rejection of his brothers, who put him in a pit, and then sold him into slavery). But, in God’s providence, that rejection can lead to a new place of service (remember how the LORD allowed the evil plot to get Joseph to Egypt where he would be raised up to do an important work, preserving Egypt and his own family during the coming years of famine). When God allowed Joseph to be mistreated, and then delivered him, it was not to do “traditional work.” God had a special place for him that no one could have anticipated.
Ironically, many who are judged by traditional churchgoers as having “left the ministry” are actually doing more for God’s kingdom than ever before. Our definitions and perspectives of ministry are too narrow. Sometimes, God allows a pastor to be pushed out of the formal church in order to reassign him in a “secular job” where he can share the gospel with needy souls who’ll never step through the doors of our best sanctuaries.
The Lord’s people need to learn to respect and honor the call of God on a person’s life, whether that means being the pastor of a large church or being a “street shepherd.”
What can you do?
Perhaps you’re wondering, “How can I help to heal hurting shepherds?” Awareness of the problem is the first step toward a solution. You should know that the problem is not a small one. Statistics indicate that shepherds are being struck down in ever increasing numbers. And it isn’t only ministers and spouses who suffer. Whatever injures them often scatters the Lord’s sheep as well. People leave the church with every damaged shepherd’s departure.
Our world can’t afford to lose true messengers of God. Someone must seek them out, honor them with actions and words, and help them get moving in ministry again. Their gifts are needed more than ever. We can’t afford to waste spiritual resources. Wounded ministers are a vast reserve of leadership for God’s kingdom.
Has God burdened your heart for injured ministers and spouses? Pray that he will lead you to another person or two who share that concern. Then, commit yourselves to find an injured minister or ministry couple and begin to express compassion and support. Strategize how you might be able to network with others in the body of Christ to give practical help to wounded shepherds. They may need assistance finding work, or a place to live. They’ll certainly need a listening ear, and encouraging words; but be careful not to spout a lot of advice. Weep with those who weep. Care for the caregivers who’ve been hurt. Hurting pastors and spouses need respect and affirmation. They need someone who’ll love them and their families back to spiritual health.
Clergy Killers -Part 1 from an angry pastor September 5, 2007
Posted by reformedville in : Clergy Killers , add a commentFirst, the fact of clergy killers. Nearly any experienced pastor and denominational executive has encountered these humanoids (excuse me, my anger is still showing!). We tend to deny, excuse, or pamper them in the church. But they are very real and very toxic. I have encountered them in every denomination, and in many congregations over the years. But because we believe such persons should not exist in the church, and that we should be kind and forgiving to everyone, we fail to admit or understand the tactics, and motivation, and devastating toll they take on the energy and resources of the church, besides the cruel damage they do to clergy and those dear to them.
Clergy killers typically have intimidating power because they are willing to violate the rules of decorum and caring the rest of us try to follow. This is powerful at a subconscious level, for we sense such persons are willing to escalate the fight, and use tactics we forbid to use ourselves. In fact, most of us clergy do not even know how to do survival fighting (”street fights”), much less have the necessary resources and networks for such showdowns.
Clergy killers are masters of disguise. They can present themselves as pious, active church members who are “only doing this for the good of the church.” Naive and gentle (”peace at all costs”) parishioners may be deceived by such camouflage. And they typically advocate for the CKs (Clergy Killers) by urging the pastor and church board to be patient, make allowances, or not to misjudge such folks. CKs can convince many that they are raising legitimate issues. And for those who might do battle with them, CKs use bluster, threats, and even terrorism to appear as unstoppable giants. CKs even have allies of opportunity, i.e., parishioners who do not advocate the cause CKs are espousing, but who wish to punish the pastor for their own hidden reasons.
Clergy killers are evil. There, I said it! There are clinical names, of course, but in our theological categories, they are evil. This means they are not just sinners, in the normal inadvertent or mistaken sense. They do evil intentionally, and willingly pursue its destructive means and ends. Even repentance and restraint on their part is suspect, for it is typically a tactic only. Being around and having to associate with such persons tempts healthy spiritual leaders to pronounce curses (”Woe unto you Scribes and Pharisees…”), as someone we all know did more than once while on this earth.
IDENTIFYING CLERGY KILLERS AND THEIR EFFECTS
From a clinical (psychological) perspective, CKs are likely to have personality disorders (paranoid, antisocial, borderline, histrionic, narcissistic, and even passive aggressive). Or they may be previous or present victims of abuse. They may have volatile or addictive personalities. They may have inadequate socialization, arrested adolescence, and violent role models in their history. And they may have developed a perverse voyeuristic and vindictive taste for the suffering of their targeted victims.
In more ordinary terminology, CKs have learned the power of throwing tantrums to get their way. They know how to be bullies. They know how to distract, confuse, and seduce. And they have little sensitivity to the suffering of those outside their circle of cohorts.
It took me some time to realize the dimensions and variations of CKs’ tactics. In generic terms, they can either wound or kill by direct attacks, by getting others to do their dirty work for them, or by inducing their victims to self-destruct. The first two are self- explanatory. But it is this third generic form of victimization that may go undetected.
The tactic of inducing a victim to self-destruct is not uncommon. Some jungle creatures do this. And it is not uncommon in business, politics, and the professions to harass a person in subtle and obvious ways until their stress produces irrational and destructive behavior. They may wound or destroy themselves, they may destroy a scapegoat, or they may do something bizarre, unethical, or criminal so that legal authorities must punish them. And it is not uncommon for the victim of a CK to develop behavior and attitudes that lead to alienation of family and friends, divorce, and loss of clergy credentials.
I could cite many examples of clergy killers in action. One that raises my ire every time I hear or remember his name is a former pastor who was once a shining star of his denomination. He seemed to have everything going for him, until he became pastor of a medium- sized thriving and progressive church. But a couple of university professors and a seminary professor resented this pastors’ charisma and success. they combined to sabotage his leadership. Then when his confidence began to falter, and his pastoral competence wained under their attacks, they began to accuse him of mental disorders. His wife divorced him in panic. He finally left ordained ministry, and has been unable to hold any but menial jobs. He now subsists in an inner city, hardly able to cope or even recognize old friends. The CKs continue in that church, like scorpions doing what scorpions have to do.
Cardiovascular disorders, cancer, arthritis, gastrointestinal disorders, respiratory problems used to be rather rare among clergy. And clergy used to generate the best mental health and longevity statistics of any profession. Not anymore. I hear of and work with highly stressed, paranoid, cynical, and dysfunctional clergy all the time now, with numbers growing. And many of these maladies are traceable to CKs and their effects. The costs to the church are enormous, in lost clergy, health costs, divided congregations, loss of ministry resources, and in debilitated pastors unable to function at much more than a survival level. Can anyone stop these CKs?
THE EXTENDED DAMAGE
One of the causes of the downturn in mainline Protestant denominations is the wounded pastor syndrome. When a pastor is bleeding and desperately trying to survive, it is apparent that she or he will have little energy available for the creative pastoring church growth requires. But since the pastor is still visible and the traditional services continue, most people will not realize what is occurring. This condition resembles a pet dog with worms. It still looks like a dog, so no one thinks to question the loss of energy, and the debilitation of mission. And hardly anyone goes to the pastor with the kind of understanding, strength, and support she or he needs.
I sat at lunch with pastors recently, at a conference I was leading on another topic. It was notable that they talked almost continually of church situations where the pastor was under attack. Their comments ranged from “there, but for the grace of God, go I”; “poor guy, I wish I could help him!”
More than one denominational executive has told me lately that as they travel across their district or the nation, they find attacks on clergy to be endemic. And they indicate a helplessness to do much about it. For even in strong executive denominations, top leaders have little authority to disarm or fight CKs. They fear offending powerful lay leaders, no matter how evil they are. Being politic, they realize that their power is derivative. And most denominational executives do not have the inclination toward the power tactics needed to eliminate CKs from a congregation. The correct prevalence of lawsuits is certainly no encouragement for any denominational leader to risk offending hostile-aggressive persons. But legal means may be one possibility for controlling CKs.
It would be helpful if seminaries could prepare pastors for the real jungle of the local church. Academe is not notable for realism, however. It should be obvious by now that pastors need survival training. And they certainly should be trained in conflict management. Lip service to this need is not adequate. Recently I consulted with an organization that is establishing a leadership training process outside of seminaries. This organization purports to train pastors in evangelism, church growth, and “community based pastoring.” When I asked the director what kind of training they offered pastors in building their own support base, and in survival tactics, he looked at me as if I were from another planet. He said, “If a pastor is a dynamic leader, there will be no such problems.” If he hadn’t been so sure of his institute’s success, I could have told him of a burned-out pastor I had talked to the previous week, who had graduated from his program, and of at least two other graduates whom I had heard were under attack by CKs.
THE CONTEXT
The etiology of the CK phenomenon is not mysterious, for we have always had a few evil people in the church. But contemporary society is especially compatible for CKs. There is a general distrust of authority figures of any kind. There is biblical and theological illiteracy in the pews. This means parishioners do not understand God’s purposes, and the dynamics of spiritual leadership. There is a general sense of entitlement growing in the church, in which church members feel entitled to comfort and privilege. And if a pastor does not please them, they are free to criticize and punish. There is a growing business mentality in the church, which says that if the CEO (pastor) does not produce, he should be fired. There is mobility among parishioners. This means they feel little loyalty to the “peace and unity of the church.” For they will soon move on, without having to deal with the consequences of their irresponsible behavior. And, as has been mentioned, we are not training pastors to handle conflict, nor support themselves in survival situations.
All churches and pastors are not suffering, of course. And all critics of pastoral leadership are not CKs. But the killing of pastors is a serious, and in my experience, a growing phenomenon. Some pastors are incompetent, and some “shoot themselves in the foot,” but none of them deserves the torturing tactics of CKs.
It is not only the victimized pastor who suffers, of course. We have noted the subtle, but significant damage to congregations and denominations. And we should certainly note the damage to clergy spouses, families, and intimate friends when CKs attack. Such victims may have even fewer survival resources, unless they have their own careers and support networks.
Identifying a problem is useful. But offering possible solutions and preventions techniques is also necessary. Even though clergy killing is such a distasteful, and denied subject, some healing insights will be useful… at least to celery who know the reality of this treacherous role vulnerability.
GENERIC CASE MODEL
The first overt sign of the killing process began at a Church Board meeting (Session, Board of Deacons, Classis, Vestry, etc.). A member said, “A lot of people are complaining to me about the pastor. They’re saying he doesn’t call enough; he can’t be reached when they want to talk to him; and he’s not friendly enough.” The Board asked who these people are, but the complainant refused to say. Then they asked for specific examples. He refused to be specific. The Board said they couldn’t take action unless they knew the specific complaints. The complainant replied that they better take action, because these were important members who might leave the church.
The Board set up an investigative team, which reported at the next meeting that they could find no tangible evidence. The complainant told them that the complaints were real, and that they might have something to do with sexual misconduct and misuse of church funds.
The investigative team again reported no tangible evidence. The complainant then called for a congregational meeting. This request was denied.
Before the next board meeting, a letter filled with innuendoes against the pastor was mailed to the congregation. At the following meeting, the Board and pastors were in a near panic. The complainant said he had talked to the bishop, and the bishop said these were serious charges that needed to be investigated.
A new investigative team reported next time that there seemed to be a lot of people unhappy with the pastor. The Board voted to have a delegation meet with the pastor.
At the next meeting the pastor was absent. After six months of this harassment, he was in the hospital. The Board voted to send a delegation to the bishop. And at the following meeting, the delegation reported that the bishop recommended removal of the pastor.
The pastor is scheduled for heart bypass surgery now. And rumor says his wife is addicted to tranquilizers.
THE REMEDIES
The first remedial insight is one to which this column is dedicated, namely, the existence of clergy killers. Such persons exist and continue their devastation in that shadowy dimension of institutional religion, behind the prominence of altar, pulpit, and pew. As I consult with victimized clergy, and even savvy denominational executives, it is hard for them to admit the presence and damage of clergy killers. It is much easier to blame pastors, for an unwritten expectation of our profession is that successful pastors should not have unhappy parishioners. There are incompetent pastors, of course, but there are clergy killers also.
The second insight is that the motivations and tactics of CKs are of a different order of magnitude than ordinary critics or nagging detractors. They are evil. And this is what makes them difficult to deal with. For though religion and clergy are not strangers to evil, we have forgotten the need for exorcism. Given this lapse, we simply much teach ourselves reality. CKs do not stop with winning a single victory over a pastor. It is only a matter of time before another attack is fomented. CKs do not stop when thwarted. They may back off, but this is only to regroup and find a winning strategy. CKs camouflage their methods and goals through denial, piousness, distractions, seduction, and unlikely alliances. CKs are willing to go to any length to achieve their goals, and seem to relish the notoriety and general destruction they generate. Theirs is a lifelong goal. When they kill off (get rid of) one pastor, they will certainly wait for an opportunity to kill the next one, even if they had a part in bringing her or him to their pulpit. And, CKs typically do not leave a congregation after either a victory or defeat, as other types of clergy antagonists often do. They tend to stay and turn a parish into a clergy killing field.
The third insight about CKs is how difficult and rare it is to find successful ways of thwarting or eliminating them on a permanent basis. As already mentioned, the denial process in the church is so strong that neither traditional theology nor polity offer effective relief. But there are several strategies that offer some possibility of success.
1. Patience. If one learns survival tactics, outliving CKs may be possible. For forty years in the wilderness eliminates some of them.
2. Raising consciousness. Educating laity and clergy to the CK phenomenon is valuable for both the short term and long term. This is sophisticated education, however. For denial and CK vengeance will try to sabotage it.
3. Teach survival. Clergy and their intimates must be provided with self-preservation skills, since few lay leaders, colleagues, or denominational executives will come to their aid, ready to stay the course with tenacious CKs.
4. Give theology and polity some teeth, in order that when CKs are identified, they may be eliminated. We have now put teeth into eliminating killer clergy (sexual malfeasors); we could do the same with clergy killers.
5. Engage knowledgeable consultants to bring in outside skills needed in this struggle for which the church is poorly prepared. Such professionals can advise and devise the interventions necessary. I have been encouraging experienced Pastoral Counselors (AAPC certified) to bring their special skills to the church for such ministries.
6. “Go by the book.” Follow your denomination’s polity and protocol as closely as possible. This not only lessens legal liability, it also sets precedence, and gives all involved parties an honorable method and goal.
7. All of the above!
This is a negative column, in that it deals with an unwanted subject and with admitted anger. I pray, however, that its effect will be positive, on behalf of embattled clergy and God’s church.
by G. Lloyd Rediger, PhD (Directory of Clergy Counseling Services, Wisconsin Council of Churches)