Power Drain
The infamous “they” need to start teaching entire seminary courses on power. It seems to me that Jesus—who had all power and authority, used it for others, and did not abuse it—could have zapped all those religious hypocrites with a single command. The image that comes to my mind is a Tolkien-created Elven princess who was tempted to take the ring of power and become an “all-powerful” domineering goddess, crying out “all shall love me and despair”. Whether man or elf, we’re tempted to use power for our own purposes. But in “Making Room for Leadership,” Dr. Morse shows how all power isn’t bad but rather amoral; it’s the way in which we leverage power that has moral implications. Because it is so often misused, Christians can paint with too broad a brush and perceive all power as corrupt and contrary to being a Christ follower. [1]
Power struggles within the church, involving professed “brothers and sisters in Christ,” have worn me thin. Perhaps that’s why this book strikes so close to home for me. I’ve often seen power used negatively in the church. I’ve seen condescension and judgmentalism from self-styled experts. I’ve seen people use their moral authority and self-declared impeccable character to claim the high ground during a conflict, regardless of the significant hurt they caused to others. I’ve seen those in authority simply leverage their role, taking sides for the sake of expediency contrary to godly advice that supported a more difficult but spiritually formative path. I’ve seen a board become so insular, so blind to their own culpability in a matter that they refused outside, godly, unbiased direction (Culture).[2] That’s four recent negative uses of social power I’ve witnessed; all four drain the life out of the church, diminish our kingdom impact and were personally dispiriting.
Power may be neutral, but the use of power is either positive or negative; life-giving or deadly. We Christ followers desperately need good examples of power, and teaching that provides the tools to exercise our own power for good. God made us in His image and gave us rule and dominion in this world (Gen. 1:26-27). Power isn’t to be avoided—it’s to be invested in such a way that it draws others into community, instead of pushing people away.
Dr. Morse shared stories of powerful and powerless people. The lesson is clear—the powerful must learn to share their power, giving voice to those without a voice, and lifting up the powerless. The example of Jesus, Simon, and the sinner woman was used to demonstrate how Jesus used his social power positively, how Simon used it negatively and how the sinner woman—who was initially without social power—was changed. “Jesus used his social power to restore the woman’s identity. He acknowledged her and empowered her by elevating her status above Simon’s. In front of the crowd, the holy man made the sinner woman holy. The woman with no power and no right to influence risked everything to thank Jesus for giving her hope. She gained the social power to change her status in the community.”[3] Using power to lift people up, to give them hope, to encourage their faith is truly our calling and the right use of power.
Recently, during our church’s annual meeting, I reflected back about the most meaningful day of the year in 2014. It was within a couple weeks of my return from Cape Town. We had a church picnic on a beautiful fall Sunday. It was a classic church picnic with horseshoe toss, three-legged races, water balloons, potato sack races—lots of fun for everyone. It followed a Sunday service where I dedicated five babies to God; families had declared their love for Christ and desire to raise their children to follow Him. It was life-giving day. Most meaningful for me was how we set up our portable baptistery outside and I baptized two people in it. Both shared amazing testimonies. A young man was saved from a hidden life of alcoholism and nearly losing his family. Hannah, my youngest daughter, had just finished serving the Lord for the summer in Myanmar and Cambodia; her baptism was her declaration to all that she wholly belonged to the Lord. I baptized her with tears of joy in my eyes.
That day was powerful and life-giving; the entire church was encouraged. That’s my takeaway from “Making Room for Leadership.” Power properly used in Christian community is totally life-giving; wrongly used it only drains. How many of us pastors, elders, deacons, ministry leaders have been depleted—entering into long seasons of lifeless ministry—because of the misuse of power? We need to simply stop our navel-gazing, look to Jesus, and follow his example of exercising power in life-giving ways.
[1] MaryKate Morse, Making Room for Leadership: Power, Space and Influence (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Books, 2008), 40.
[2] Ibid, 43-47.
[3] Ibid, 56.
About the Author
Dave Young
husband, dad, friend, student of culture and a pastor.8 responses to “Power Drain”
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What I love about your story is that it was for your church annual meeting (a place many see as power driven) that you reflected back on true power, baby dedications and baptism. You’ve got a great mindset Dave.
Power to you David,
I agree with you and it is exactly why i feel a need to work towards empowering the people i serve. My church is named Victory Empowerment Center. My four areas of thought to this name was to empower God’s people in their faith, spirituality, education and economically to help transform the world for Christ. I understand you fully about watching leaders use their power for manipulation and for greed. I have issues with some of our leaders in our denomination who foster an environment where they are the only ones it seems that matter. They make you feel like you exist to serve them! What? I believe power given to us for us to empower others with it. God bless you brother!
Travis and Dave. It is interesting to watch as people, who were once driven by pure motives and deep desire to help their fellows, acquire power and how it changes them. Once a person acquires power, it seems that oftentimes, the rest of their life becomes about the retention of that power. So, while they may very well do some good things with it, their primary goal is to do what they need to do to retain that power once it has been acquired.
Let’s all agree that when the eight of us occupy the seats of power and rule the whole world, we won’t become those people! Our motives will always remain pure and clean as the wind-driven snow…. right?
J
“when the eight of us occupy the seats of power and rule the whole world”
I love you guys and gals, but that is one scary thought. Something really does happen to a person who holds great power. The more we view power as a temporary tool to be used for the sake others and realize that we will be held accountable for its use, the better stewards we become. Power must also be shared; the more consolidated power becomes, the more power begins to rule rather than serve.
David, “All power isn’t bad but rather amoral; it’s the way in which we leverage power that has moral implications.” Love that line!!! Why does it seem the Church does such a poor job of handling this? It seems where power is played down the most is really more of a manipulation in the church. I like how MaryKate emphasized our response to the misuse of power is not to desire powerlessness but rather the accurate handling of it. If only the infamous “we” could get better at that.
Phil, I agree with that observation. The answer to counteract rampant misuse of power is not for us to run from it, as if IT is the problem… Our goal should be to carefully and humbly steward the power we do have to preserve and lift up the powerless.
Good thoughts!
J
“Power isn’t to be avoided—it’s to be invested in such a way that it draws others into community, instead of pushing people away.” Can I just say “yes, yes, yes”?!!!!! I think that’s part of the conundrum – as Christians we feel like we’re not supposed to want power, yet we know power is at work all the time. What if it was used for good?
By the way, Dave, your words reflect a man of great power who opens up the way for others to also have a sense of their own power through the work of the Holy Spirit.
Mary, in a sense it is similar to money. We should not desire to be poor, but rather to have more then enough so that we can steward the wealth to lift up the downtrodden.
Interesting.
J