bible college essay - surviving church politics
TRANSCRIPT
SURVIVING CHURCH POLITICS: THE SPIRITUAL PERSPECTIVE
AN ESSAY
PRESENTED BY:
SHOMOPE, ADEWALE ABDULRASAQMATRIC NO: 72445
SUBMITTED TO:
REDEEMED CHRISTIAN BIBLE COLLEGE (RCBC)TRIUMPHANT CAMPUS
IKORODU ZONE
IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT FOR THE AWARD OFPOSTGRADUATE DIPLOMA (PGD) IN THEOLOGY
2012
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CERTIFICATION
I hereby certify that this essay was written by me SHOMOPE, ADEWALE ABDULRASAQ
with Matriculation number 72445 in Triumphant Campus of Ikorodu Zone in partial
fulfillment for the award of Postgraduate Diploma (PGD) in Theology.
SHOMOPE, ADEWALE ABDULRASAQ …………………………………………………………………
STUDENT SIGNATURE AND DATE
PASTOR SEGUN ONAFOWOKAN …………………………………………………………………
CAMPUS COORDINATOR SIGNATURE AND DATE
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DEDICATION
I dedicate this essay to the Almighty God for His immense mercy on me that kept me
thus far.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I acknowledge the Author and Finisher of my faith; my Father and Pride Who has never
disappoint me at any time. He is consistent always. I also want to appreciate my dear
wife, the only Queen in my palace. My gratitude also goes to my Pastors Tony
Oluwalade and Segun Onafowokan (My amiable and wonderful Coordinator) for their
courage and interest in me to achieve spiritually, God bless you.
I also want to appreciate all my brethren in Trinity Hall and Promise Keepers Assembly
for their love and support before and during my programme. May God added beauty to
your lives.
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ABSTRACT
Many churchmen and women are scary and wary of talking about church politics. They
see politics as a dirty game, the players of which are hell-bound. Hence many would not
want to associate politics with the Christian calling; not to mention or associate politics
with the church. Not so well informed people are often heard to say “I do not want to
be involved in church politics”, or “Don’t involve me in church politics”. The truth of the
matter is that people know but fail to admit that there is politics in the Church, which is
inevitable. Where we have two or three people gather together to inhabit a space in
time, politics coms in without being invited. It is an unseen umpire in human
interpersonal relationship. Failure to admit the inevitability of politics in the church as a
community of believer and the acceptance of its presence and usefulness in the
community is responsible for its abuse. Hence this write up, which will help us to
understand politics in its real sense, how it comes in (due to the human nature) and how
to deal with it without offending God.
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TABLE OF CONTENT
CONTENTS PAGE NO.
INTRODUCTION 7
WHAT IS CHURCH? 8
PURPOSE OF THE CHURCH 9
WHAT IS CHURCH POLITICS 10
CHURCH POLITICS 11
THE NEED FOR LEADERSHIP AND STRUCTURE 11
SOME PITFALLS IN LEADERSHIP 14
THE ROOTS OF BAD CHURCH POLITICS 16
THE CONTROL SPIRIT 17
SAUL AND DAVID 17
THE DANGER IN OVER REACTION 22
A WORD OF ADVICE 23
REFERENCE 24
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INTRODUCTION
Politics in general or church politics in particular should be seen as a science as well as
an art. It should be seen as a science because it has its own rules, which can be
classified into an orderly system. It is an art because the application of the rules and
guidelines are invariably neither too rigid nor mechanical. Hence, the flexibility in the
application of the rules makes politics or church politics an art. In this write up, we shall
look at politics as it applies to the church, considering what it really means vis-à-vis its
influence on the church and how to survive politics in the church.
Many churchmen and women are scary and wary of talking about church politics. They
see politics as a dirty game, the players of which are hell-bound. Hence many would not
want to associate politics with the Christian calling; not to mention or associate politics
with the church. Not so well informed people are often heard to say “I do not want to
be involved in church politics”, or “Don’t involve me in church politics”. The truth of the
matter is that people know but fail to admit that there is politics in the Church, which is
inevitable. Where we have two or three people gather together to inhabit a space in
time, politics coms in without being invited. It is an unseen umpire in human
interpersonal relationship. Failure to admit the inevitability of politics in the church as a
community of believer and the acceptance of its presence and usefulness in the
community is responsible for its abuse. Hence this write up, which will help us to
understand politics in its real sense, how it comes in (due to the human nature) and how
to deal with it without offending God.
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It is discovered that one of the reasons apart from the reality of the ‘scary’ nature of
church politics, is the lack of contemporary literature on church government. It is
further discovered that many of the practical problems facing the church are as a result
of abandonment of scriptural church politics.
As its practitioners are abusing politics in the secular world, so it is being misconstrued
and abused in the church. It must be clearly stated that church politics is not the same
as being a Christian politician.
WHAT IS CHURCH?
For someone to understand meaningfully the Christian religion, it is expedient to know
where Christianity started from, who found it, and what situation is met at the time of
its establishment.
It is perceived that many people understand the church to be a building, which is not
the biblical understanding of the church. The root meaning of the church is not that of a
building but of a people. The word church was derived from a Greek word ekklesia,
which is spelt ecclesia in Latin meaning assembly in English. Though the early Christians
did not see themselves as an ordinary assembly of people, hence they went into their
mother-tongue in Hebrew language to find a suitable word to describe their company
and found a word “Qahal” meaning the called out, when these two words ekklesia and
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Qahal were considered together, we can say the church is “the assembly of the called
out”. Church has also been explained from the Greek rook Kyriako meaning “things
belonging to the Lord, and when considered alongside the word ekklesia, we can say the
church is “the assembly of the Lord.
However, the church should not be limited to the above meanings. It should be seen
beyond the physical gathering of people in a local assembly.
The church is a divine force originated from the Lord’s love for humanity and need for
fellowship.
The church was born in Judea during the Roman Empire in the first century AD based on
the life, ministry, passion, death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. The church
gradually spread through the Roman Empire and outside it, gaining major establishment
in cities such as Jerusalem, Antioch and Edessa.
Today, the churches that consider themselves to be Christians are numerous with a
variety of different doctrines and traditions. There are many controversies among the
denominations, which exist today.
During the age of exploration and the age of imperialism, Western Europe spread the
roman catholic Church and the protestant and reformed churches around the world,
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especially in the Americas. These developments in turn have led to Christianity’s being
the largest religion in the world today.
There are various schools of thought as to description of nature and manner of the
Church. For example, Protestants particularly of the reformed theological persuasion
see the Church as both visible and invisible. According to them, the visible Church
includes both “genuine” believers who are truly united to Christ and the false professors
of the Christian faith who do not really partake of the savior.
PURPOSE OF THE CHURCH
As a community, the divine purposes of the Church includes:
1. Teaching Biblical doctrine. In other words, building a people spiritually for the
purpose of living for God.
2. Providing a place of fellowship for believers. Meaning that the Church as an
organism has the responsibility of working for the peaceful and pleasant co-
existence of her members.
3. Paying of tithes, offering and generous donation to be able to achieve number
(2) above.
4. Observing the ordinances of the divine community. Every community has its
constitution – written or unwritten. The Church is not an exception. It is the
duty of the Church to cause her members to live according to the ordinances or
tenets of their faith. For example, the Church encourages members to be
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baptized as a token of their newly found faith, observe the Lord’s supper and to
pray.
WHAT IS POLITICS?
Politics comes from the Greek word “polis” meaning state or city. “Politikos” describes
anything concerning the state or city affairs. In Latin, this was “politicus” and in French
“politique”. Thus, it became “politics” in the English language.
Politics is the process by which groups of people makes decisions. The term is generally
applied to behavior within civil governments, but politics has been observed in all
human group interactions including corporate, academic and religious institutions. It
consists of social relations involving authority or power and refers to the regulation of a
political unit and to the methods and tactics used to formulate and apply policy.
The study of politics, otherwise known as political science examines the acquisition and
application of power.
Political power is a type of power held by a group in a society, which allows
administration of some or all of public resources including labour and wealth.
Political scientists have frequently defined power as the ability to influence the
behaviour of others with or without resistance. For analytical reasons, I. C. MacMillan
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separates the concepts of power and said thus: “Power is the capacity to restructure
actual situations”. And influence, is the capacity to control and modify the perception of
others.
CHURCH POLITICS
By Church politics, we mean the way church leaders relate to one another and to others
in exercising authority and determining the way things will be done in church life. The
term "church politics" often has a negative connotation - however I am using the term in
a broader sense. The policies and ways of church leadership may be godly or they may
be ungodly. The way leadership is exercised is tremendously important to the Lord, so
Church leaders may say they believe all that the Bible says but this doesn't mean that
the Bible's message fully shapes the values and policies of the leader in question.
THE NEED FOR LEADERSHIP AND STRUCTURE
A small group of Christians bound together in a group to meet each other’s personal
needs does not need a whole lot of structure or organisation. Such a group might be
compared to a small village on the main road - only one road is needed and all the
houses are on that road. However, a large town or city cannot have just one road.
Instead, a huge network of interconnecting streets, avenues and highways forms part of
the organisational structure of that town or city. In the same way, if many Christians are
to unite together somehow and yet have a diversity of function and activity, there will
be a need for structure. There will be a need for organisation, accountability and
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responsibility. There will be a need for clear direction so that people working together
co-operate well towards the same goal. These needs are met through leaders who assist
in giving direction, organisation, accountability and responsibility. Without this, very
little will be accomplished. "Without a vision, the people perish (or cast off restraint)"
(Proverbs 29:18). The Bible exhorts Christian believers to respect and willingly choose to
co-operate with the leadership in the local church. See Hebrews 13:7, 17; 1
Thessalonians 5:12,13. This exhortation is hard to receive for some believers who have
been hurt in their dealings with church leadership but the alternative is to stagnate, be
unproductive and even poison the life of the church with bitter seeds. Without co-
operation towards a common purpose nothing significant will ever be achieved.
When a church is first planted, a complex structure is not needed. It might take the form
of a weekly Bible study in someone's living room at first. It can be compared to a human
embryo in the early stages - simple structure, huge potential. However, if the group
never recognises any leadership, it will not develop. Instead, it will only remain as long
as the people involved all feel they are getting something out of it for themselves. After
that, it will begin to disintegrate.
As leadership develops, so does the requirement for procedures, norms and policies
regarding the church life. Church leaders use their authority to enforce certain
standards. For example, certain practices such as fornication should not be tolerated
amongst key members of the group. If they are, the Holy Spirit will be grieved and the
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group will soon lose its "saltiness" and Christ-like distinctiveness.
As well as this, the leader has a key role as "teacher" - setting out and explaining the
doctrines of the church. Since there can be disagreement between Christians in some
areas of doctrine the leadership usually makes it quite clear what the position of that
particular local church is on certain issues. Church leaders are appointed by God to
guard the people of God against false teachings, and heresies of all kinds which can have
severe or even destructive consequences for those believers accepting them.
As well as this, leaders of a growing church are on the lookout for people who God
seems to be preparing for future leadership roles within the church. People are
evaluated according to certain criteria for suitability. Some kind of policy - whether
written down or not - must exist to help decide who may or may not be suitable for
positions of responsibility and authority in the church as it develops.
When different churches leaders must interact the situations can be even more
complex. Church leaders may have differences and personal ambitions which can lead to
a conflict of interests. There are many different ways these tensions are resolved in
practice.
SOME PITFALLS IN LEADERSHIP
It is a great privilege and also a great responsibility to be in church leadership. The Bible
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declares that such a role is not for novices in the faith. At least a few years in the faith is
necessary (but not in itself sufficient) to produce the maturity required to handle the
responsibility of church leadership in a godly and skillful way. God loves church leaders
and will reward those who serve Him with a faithful heart. At the same time leadership
is usually the first target of satanic attacks - be they direct or indirect. It is therefore our
duty as Christians to also pray for Christian leaders. We should pray for their walk with
God to be protected, their marriages, families, bodies and minds also. When we don't
guard our leaders in prayer we open ourselves to potentially disastrous consequences.
The sad reality is that the devil does at times get inroads into the lives of spiritual
leaders. This can happen very subtly, but can have serious negative consequences for
those around them and their influence. It is very easy for a spiritual leader in a few
moments to seriously hurt someone emotionally or give them occasion to take offense.
Such actions can trigger an entire chain reaction of negative consequences - criticism,
bitterness, division, strife, envy, discouragement and more.
It is very obvious that things need to change when a spiritual leader falls into some
really gross or carnal sin - like adultery. What is not so obvious is when the ways of
leadership begin to resemble more the ways of the world than the ways of Christ. When
the values of the world - such as the desire for money, power and recognition - become
the guiding values in church politics then the church has taken a fall and needs the
prophetic ministry to restore it. We need to remember that the true values of the
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church should be the honor and glory of God, love, mercy and truth. People - even lost
people - are tremendously valuable to God and should be to us also. When these values
are forsaken and decisions are made on the basis of the former worldly values - such as
lust, greed and pride, we have a serious problem. Usually these values are not openly
acknowledged if they are present, but their presence compromises the church and
tends to make people into hypocrites instead of disciples of Christ.
THE ROOTS OF BAD CHURCH POLITICS
Bad church politics comes about when church leadership departs from either the
leadership of the Holy Spirit or from the guidance of the Bible. These two are closely
related. The Holy Spirit will urge us to meditate on the Scriptures and apply them, while
the Scriptures urge us to be full of the Holy Spirit.
When the Holy Spirit is disobeyed or grieved and this is not repented of, an evil religious
spirit gains entry. This religious spirit seeks to counterfeit the voice and authority of the
Holy Spirit in the life of the leader. Even the partial influence of a religious spirit will
have a negative effect on the development of the work of God. Religious spirits incline
people to legalism, formalism and mechanical methodologies which don't need the Holy
Spirit. These evil religious spirits seek to obscure our vision of the meaning of the cross
and of Christ. Religious spirits operate deceptively, justifying selfish behavior on the
part of leadership. Such spirits seek to lead people into greater bondage to a form of
religion which denies the power of God and of godliness.
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When the values taught by Christ of love and servant-hood are effectively replaced by
pride, ambition and a love of power then the church politics implemented will grieve the
Holy Spirit. A leader should model love and servant-hood and not simply preach it so
that he might be loved and served.
THE CONTROL SPIRIT
Sadly, some church leaders have got to the point where they must rely on techniques of
manipulation and domination in order to maintain their positions of influence and
authority. Such leaders are insecure and are easily threatened by those whom they
cannot control. These leaders may have in the past been raised up by God for a great
work, but at some point they departed seriously from God's will. To maintain their
positions of power and influence, to preserve their "territory", such leaders resort to all
kinds of manipulative political tactics, which hinder the purposes of God's Kingdom and
delay the outpouring of God's Spirit upon their communities.
SAUL AND DAVID
A Biblical example of this was King Saul. Saul was threatened by David and tried to kill
him. He used various tactics hoping to kill David, but without success, because God was
with David. The entire story gives us many insights into what some refer to as "the
control spirit" which is active in many segments of church life today, including the
Pentecostal/full gospel/charismatic circles.
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Saul's downhill progression began when he felt compelled to offer a sacrifice himself -
something beyond the scope of his God-given authority. Christian leaders today can get
into problems when they seek to take on an activity or ministry, which God has not
called them or authorized them to do. What is begun in the power of the flesh can only
be maintained by the power of the flesh, and this gives an opening to much evil.
Saul had become king through the prophetic actions of Samuel, so he knew Samuel was
a true prophet of the Lord. Nevertheless, he did not heed the voice of the Lord through
the prophet Samuel. He had been instructed to destroy everything pertaining to the
Amalekites he was assigned to destroy. Saul, by sparing the Amalekite king and the best
of the sheep in contradiction to the prophet's instructions, disobeyed God and further
compromised his leadership. As Samuel explained, "Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft"
(1 Samuel 15:23). Once a leader willfully disobeys the clear instructions of the Lord, the
door is opened to evil spirits.
On that day Samuel the prophet told Saul, "The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from
you today, and has given it to a neighbour of yours, who is better than you" (vs 28). Even
so, it was many years before Saul's death and David's coronation. Yet as far as God was
concerned, Saul had lost the kingdom.
God sent Samuel to anoint David king over Israel. At that moment, the Spirit of the Lord
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came upon David from that day forward. At the same time, the Spirit of the Lord
departed from Saul and a distressing spirit instead troubled him. David was brought in
to sing in the presence of Saul. This music, combined with the spiritual anointing now on
David's life, caused the evil spirit to leave, so that Saul could function normally. We see
here that God made Saul dependent on David, who in fact now had the anointing
necessary for leadership. In the same way, some leaders with the control spirit rely on
the anointing and gifts of those under them in order to operate. They can quickly
become jealous and protective of their position when those under them start to receive
more recognition than they themselves. This is what happened in the case of Saul when
later on the women of Israel sang, "Saul has slain his thousands, but David his tens of
thousands". This is what made Saul hate David and seek to take David's life.
Having lost God's blessing on his leadership through disobedience, Saul was
nevertheless intent on keeping his position at all costs. He began to jealously watch
David suspecting he might be the "neighbour" to whom Samuel had referred, the one
who was going to receive the kingdom in Saul's place.
David eventually had to flee from the presence of the king to save his life. It is
interesting that David left alone. He did not seek to create a faction or divide the
kingdom, though he had much popular support. David repeatedly resisted temptations
to promote himself into that role which God had promised Him. This is a major reason
why God so honored David and gave him so much spiritual authority in the end. In the
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same way, as we wait upon the Lord and serve him in the roles we have been given, we
must not seek to promote ourselves to our eventual calling and ministry. Everything
should be done in humble dependence on the Lord. If we foster a spiritual rebellion
against existing leadership that we might gain influence and expression, we are sowing
seeds for our own demise.
Those with the control spirit do great harm to God's true ministers. Saul killed many true
priests of the Lord because they had innocently sheltered David. In the same way, those
with a control spirit will seek, if possible, to kill the ministry of anyone they perceive to
be helping those of whom they are jealous. This can be done by bad-mouthing or simply
by expressing unjustified reservations when asked for their opinion by others with
influence. Because the motive is impure, the politics, which comes out is also corrupt.
Saul became obsessed with keeping his hold on power and stamping out David, whom
he perceived as a threat. This murderous spirit was the same kind, which operated in
Cain's life, inspiring him to murder his brother Abel. "For this is the message that you
heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, not as Cain who was of the
wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works
were evil and his brother's righteous." (1 John 3:12).
I have seen and heard of many cruel things done by ministers of the gospel to other
ministers. In some nations where the government has been hostile to the church,
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church leaders have reported independent Christian groups they cannot control to the
authorities and their leaders go to prison and suffer for many years. Some even die. At
the same time, these leaders often receive much public and international acclaim. It is
the control spirit, the love of money and the desire for acclamation and influence which
are ultimately behind such actions.
The link to witchcraft in Saul's life is seen again in the fact that he actually spent his last
night in the house of a witch. Ultimately, witchcraft is about obtaining power contrary to
God's expressed will. It does not have to be by using incantations and spells. Leaders
and church members who seek to obtain power and influence by illicit means are guilty
of using witchcraft, as Saul did.
The control spirit has done a lot of harm in hindering moves of the Holy Spirit as they
have been starting. We can see that the control spirit was effective in slowly killing the
true move of the Holy Spirit in the post-apostolic church. When teachings started
appearing saying "Do nothing without the bishop", and bishops began to fight and
squabble over doctrine, liturgy and personal power it wasn't long before the Holy Spirit
was grieved and marginalized within the very church of God. They may have referred to
Him in their creeds and liturgies but He was either taking a back seat in the church or
not even there. The church became prostituted to the interests of temporal power and
the Orthodox and Roman Catholic systems were the results. The leadership got so bad
at some times in some places that when the Muslims later took over the Christians
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actually preferred the new leadership to what existed before. Islam would never have
gotten off the ground had the church not been so corrupted by the 7th century.
I've observed in some places that even Pentecostals have gotten to the place where it
seems they could function very well without the leading of the Holy Spirit. The gifts of
the Spirit are not practiced in the church. There is a program and system in place which
serves the interests of maintaining the church. People fall in love with the familiar and
resist change. If the fire of God starts to burn there are plenty of volunteers to
immediately pour cold water on it and put it out.
THE DANGER OF OVER REACTION
If we have been the victims of negative church politics there is a danger that we take
offense and begin to despise and speak against leadership that God has ordained. David
refused to attack Saul when he could have, saying, "he would not touch the Lord's
anointed". Some withdraw from organized churches altogether and end up in little
groups with no evangelistic vision or corporate purpose. They exist as forums where
everyone can air what is in their hearts - be it helpful or harmful - and nothing is
achieved. It does no good to sit around and speak against those who have hurt you. In
fact, it can bring God's severe displeasure and judgment on your life.
Avoid becoming critical of leadership in general. It will only result in your own continued
demotion in the Kingdom of God. You need to go to God for healing. Spend much time
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as David did learning to worship and praise the Lord. This will bring a needed river of
healing to your soul. You are not ready to minister while you still have major unhealed
wounds.
There are times when it is our own rebellious nature and not that of the leaders over us
that is causing us to disagree with their actions. "He who keeps instruction is on the way
of life, but he who refuses correction goes astray" (Proverbs 10:17). "The wise in heart
will receive commands" (Proverbs 10:8). Be careful to walk in humility and be ready to
receive the valid points coming out of the mouths of those who don't even seem to love
you at all. Sometimes our own perceptions are clouded and we need to suspend
judgment or even simply submit to those who are responsible to God for the ministry
God has assigned us to serve.
A WORD OF ADVICE
The best thing to do when coming under severe and unbearable attacks from leadership
that is grieving the Holy Spirit is to do what David did - seek to "avoid" "the Lord's
anointed" as much as possible. Spend time in the wilderness with God. Make a few
disciples as God enables. Try to associate with people who want to serve God and who
are moving in the Holy Spirit both in the gifts and in their relational style. There is always
much to learn from others. Draw strength from God and when you know in your heart
he has spoken, do it. When you still need to ask approval from many others about
something in your heart before doing it you are not in the place of sufficient faith. Fierce
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opposition always comes to any important assignment you receive from God, so make
sure you are convinced and ready to persevere before launching out.
REFERENCES
http://www.christian-faith.com/forjesus/the-overcoming-christian
J. A. BOLARINWA, CONGROMANISCOPALISM: The Science and Art of Church Politics.
Somerset Ventures – 2010.
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