Power and Authority in the Church: The Problem with Ruling
During a class early on in my improv journey, I said my scene partner was going to dance. Since we were just learning about Yes And, I knew my scene partner would be obliged to dance, and I would score a (cheap) laugh.
The instructor immediately stopped the scene. He said that if we force a scene partner to do something that risks making them feel awkward or silly, we have to join in as well.
And so we both danced briefly.
I learned an important improv lesson that day; we never make the other person do anything so that we and the audience can laugh at their expense.
While I still make lots of mistakes, I haven’t made that one again.
One of the core things I’ve learned through improv is that, when we are performing, we always look out for each other.
While learning the basics of Yes And, you have a level of power. You can say something that requires the other to behave a certain way.
But when that power is used to get someone else to do something so I can get a laugh, it is illegitimate.
Defining Power and Authority
Reflecting on this got me thinking about how power and authority are often conflated within church settings.
These two words are often used interchangeably, but they are not the same.
Power is the capacity to influence the behaviour of others as well as outcomes. Power can come from multiple sources and may be based on charisma, expertise, relationship or rank.
Authority is power that is recognised formally by an institution, organisation or community. Authority allows someone to act on behalf of the larger organisation.
When the Roman centurion in Luke 7 comes up to Jesus and says, “I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me”, he is acknowledging that both he and Jesus operate within clear structures of authority. His authority came from Rome; Jesus’s came from his Father.
As I mentioned, the problem within the church is that power and authority are frequently assumed to be the same, especially when they are tied to official roles.
Authority exercised over others will never be a substitute for character, wisdom, or a servant’s heart.
The Pastor as Ruler
A couple of years ago, I was in a conversation with a group of church leaders. One individual said that perhaps more people in Ireland don’t become pastors because “they don’t want to rule”.
I took a moment to process what I heard and then waited to see if anyone else would interject. No one did.
So I stepped in and I said that I believe the church, and we as leaders must move beyond Christendom’s models of church leadership, where authority is placed at the top of the hierarchical pyramid.
I added that there is no scriptural evidence to support the idea of pastors “ruling” — especially over others. I expected some agreement or at least an acknowledgement that the word choice was concerning.
Instead, one of the people leading the discussion said that I was watering down the biblical idea of leadership, and he needed to defend it.
I shared that in the creation account in Genesis, it is explicit that God’s intention for all humans is to rule together with him. Likewise, throughout Scripture, humans ruling other humans never ends well.
It had been a long time since I was scolded. But the long and forceful response made it clear to everyone in the room that the conversation was over.
The person with the authority in that room used their power to make it clear that the conversation was over.
Authority from Genesis to Jesus
The phrases “pastoral authority” and “biblical authority” make me cringe. The first plays into this larger problem that a person has authority simply because of their role. The latter far too often refers to the pastor’s interpretation of the Bible.
Authority is crucial within the church, but it was never meant to be based on hierarchy.
It should not come simply because someone has a title.
The misuse of authority in the church is troubling. Using the language of ruling escalates the problem, as it implies control, dominance, and unquestioned submission.
It sees leadership as imbued with power rather than a call to service.
When ruling is the frame of reference, it sees questions and disagreements as rebellion and insubordination. This is how we end up with a theology that places pastors as “God’s Anointed” and insulates them from critique and accountability.
In the Genesis account I mentioned above, the Hebrew word for rule indicates “hold sway” rather than dominate. So when the humans are called to co-rule with God, it is about cultivating the world around them, not exercising coercive power.
Likewise, the rule was shared by the humans. One was not subordinate to the other.
When Jesus described what his church would look like, he talked about love for one another, treating each other as we want to be treated, serving and neighbouring.
Jesus never described leadership among his followers as ruling over others.
In fact, one of the few times he spoke about authority within the church was during the Last Supper — his point was clear: authority was not something his followers were to exercise over each other.
He was unambiguous.
Calling for an End
A key reason power and authority are abused so frequently within the church is that they are routinely used to hold onto control rather than to foster service.
Perhaps that is why it seems that nearly every week, we read new stories involving church leaders abusing their authority. And then lie, deflect, and obfuscate to preserve the authority they feel slipping away.
I am not anti-authority. I do wish more church leaders could reimagine authority in non-hierarchical terms.
Sadly, for many of us, our church relationships have not been based on trust or mutuality; they have been based on authority. And it usually doesn’t take too long to discover where the authority lies and where we fit.
If my improv instructor immediately stepped in when power was used inappropriately, how much more should the church be vigilant when authority is misused?
If we are the body of Christ, our authority must look like Jesus: accountable, self-emptying, and rooted in love.
photos
chairs - me
church - by Anne Laure P on Unsplash