EIGHT PHASES OF A POWER-THROUGH-FEAR CULTURE

There can be no escaping the reality that many Christians, some of them abused in awful ways, are scared to death to talk about what they’ve seen or heard at church. They’ve lived in a culture of fear, and fear has driven them to silence. How does a fear culture develop? We believe there are eight phases in the formation of a power-through-fear culture.

1. It begins when power and authority are vested in an individual—most often a pastor (but not always) and most often a man (but not always)—and it can spread to other leaders and influencers in the congregation.

This power emerges from a pastor’s position, giftedness, persuasiveness, and perceived success. Other leaders, some of whom are sycophants riding coattails on a narcissist’s insatiable desire for glory, affirm that power and thus enhance it. Glory starts to be passed around: The pastor affirms an elder, and that elder affirms another elder, who affirms someone in the congregation. Before long, the pastor is surrounded by a circle of beholden power-and-glory-makers.

2. The pastor’s approval becomes the gold standard.

Those whom the pastor approves are approved. Churches that develop a fear culture almost always develop a perceived connection between the pastor’s power and God’s approval. It’s a sickness, a contagious disease, and it can be deadly to the spiritual health of the congregation. A study by Mark Allan Powell, a Lutheran seminary professor, showed “how differently the pastor and the congregation interpret Scripture.”[ 21] In his book titled What Do They Hear?, Powell makes an interesting observation: When laypeople read the Gospels, they identify with the disciples or with the marginalized people mentioned in the stories. When pastors read the same Gospel stories, they identify with Jesus. Why? Perhaps because when pastors preach stories from God’s Word, they stand in as the mouthpiece of God. Before long, they come to identify more with Jesus than with those in need of grace. This goes a long way toward explaining what we’re discussing here: Powerful pastors become associated too easily with God in the minds of the congregation. Which is why their approval matters. Many people in churches seem to think, If Pastor approves of me, then God must approve of me. And some pastors may want them thinking that way.

3. Those approved by the power pastor gain “status enhancement.”

When members of a congregation are affirmed and approved by the pastor—seen as a God-anointed messenger, a religious authority who speaks for God—their status within the church becomes “insider,” “significant,” and yes, for many, “powerful.” Their self-esteem goes up, they feel cool and “in,” and they become somewhat intoxicated with their newfound status. I (Scot) have had many conversations over the years with young leaders who had recently acquired a significant position at a megachurch. Though all were gifted (and thus well deserving of their new calling), what was obvious was that they were basking in their new status in ways beyond their own self-awareness. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a new job or a promotion within one’s church. But my concern, and what I find potentially dangerous, is the evident status enhancement these young leaders felt from gaining the approval of a power pastor. Here’s an example: At a conference, I met a young woman who worked at a megachurch. She told me that every time she drives onto the church campus, she pinches herself to see if it’s real. And then she said, “It makes me feel really important to work here.” That’s status enhancement.

4. Power cuts with both sides of the blade.

Along with the power of approval and the ability to confer status enhancement comes the other side of the knife: the power of disapproval and “status degradation.” Power leaders carry the two-edged sword conspicuously. In subtle and not-so-subtle ways, they make it known that they can use it whenever they want (and almost no one can do anything about it).

5. The power-shaping culture transitions into a fear-shaped culture.

People who derive their status from the pastor’s approval live in constant fear of being disapproved at any moment. The church may well preach God’s unconditional love, but a fear-shaped culture is all about conditional approval. In some fear cultures, the power pastor, leaders, and “approval group” control the narrative and provide enough positive feedback for people to at least think they know where they stand. But the blade of reversal is ever-present, and in some churches is constantly on display. I (Laura) believe I experienced the disapproval phase firsthand at Willow Creek. I lost friendships—including one that was decades long—over what I said on social media and for refusing to apologize for my criticism of the church’s handling of events. I got the back side of the blade because my words did not match the conditions required for approval. Almost every victim, outspoken advocate, and resister with whom I’ve connected has spoken of lost relationships. The women who brought forth the first allegations, and those who supported them, endured far worse. Willow Creek’s approval group closed ranks and showed us all the razor-sharp blade.

6. Judgments and decisions are rendered behind a wall of secrecy.

In a power-through-fear culture, the powerful pastor and his close associates decide what information will be disseminated and what will be held back. The privilege of knowing what is going on, one quickly learns, is for insiders’ eyes and ears only. People resign and leave with no explanation, often “called to a new ministry,” and only the insiders know why. This form of secrecy induces fear in other staff members to stay in line. When someone leaves, he or she is encouraged to “end well,” which means “don’t talk.” Secrecy remains.

7. Behind the wall of secrecy lurks a perpetual fear of status degradation.

Along with the fear of being demoted, moved from the inside circle to the outer edges, or shown the door, there is also a fear of being shamed by having one’s status publicly revoked. Shame is the experience of being humiliated. All of these intense human experiences—status degradation, demotion, shame, and humiliation—are inevitable in a fear culture, and their presence is a warning that a fear culture exists. Bill Hybels, in his 2008 book Axiom, wrote a chapter called “Develop a Mole System,” in which he describes “communication conduits” he established at Willow Creek: I strike an intentional arrangement wherein they [the moles] provide me regular feedback on weekend services or conference sessions or how we are really doing in a department we have recently reorganized. . . . With all these folks—whether they know they’re operating as my “moles” or not—the lines of communication are wide open.[ 22] At first, this approach may seem like a decent one. Hybels describes responsible leadership and the importance of understanding an organization. But then he says: My direct reports need to know that I have other sources than the ones sitting right in front of me week in and week out. If they’re working hard and keeping me informed along the way, then the conversations I have [with moles] . . . should be of no concern. And if they have been painting a rosier picture than the truth, I don’t mind their knowing that I’m likely to find that out over time.[ 23] What does this sound like? Fear induction. “I don’t mind their knowing that I’m likely to find out” is a classic statement of the power-through-fear mindset. Likewise, having a strategically devised “mole system.” The very use of the word mole conjures images of a spy or undercover agent. What is the purpose of a mole? To secretly report information. Bill Hybels used information he gained from these “communication conduits” to instill fear, and the moles were not unaware of the power he had over them if they failed. One person told us, “Bill had moles all over the church building. I’d get calls immediately from Bill about something that went wrong in a service or meeting. Bill hadn’t been there, but someone secretly told him.” This is power-based, fear-inducing behavior.

8. The last phase of a power-based and fear-inducing culture is—no surprise—removal from the circle entirely.

Banishment is the ultimate form of the power pastor’s disapproval. It is experienced as total rejection, and often feels like disapproval by God himself. Once removed from the circle, people who have lived in a fear-inducing culture can lose their faith; more often, they need some form of mental health therapy. It takes years for some people to trust pastors and leaders again, and many develop a keen eye for the signs of a fear culture. Jill Monaco, a former executive assistant at Harvest Bible Chapel, wrote about her mental health after leaving the inner world of that megachurch: I’ll be honest . . . detoxing from fear is hard. After leaving HBC, I had a crippling fear of making mistakes or wrong decisions. Fear ran the show and controlled so many of my decisions. I’d sacrifice what was good for me to keep the peace. . . . There should be no fear of failure, fear of man, fear of authority, fear of independence, fear of consequences for speaking truth, fear of gossip, etc. in healthy organizations.[ 24]”

— A Church Called Tov: Forming a Goodness Culture That Resists Abuses of Power and Promotes Healing by Laura McKnight Barringer