D-Mack sends in this thought (I'm sure it is out of his concern for the volunteers at CBC and out of his desire to NOT see them burnt out.) I have changed some of the names in this story to protect…well… myself actually. Enjoy.
Burnout at CBC:
What are some characteristics of an abusive pastor that can easily lead to burnout in its staff and volunteer base?
Here are a few ideas from the excellent booklet, Abusive Leadership by Malcolm Webber, Ph.D. (available at: www.livingfaithbooks.com)
An abusive pastor “relates to coworkers from an ‘I’m superior – you’re inferior’ attitude.” p. 26
An abusive pastor “manipulates organizational resources for personal gain. [He] denies followers their share of opportunities and rewards.” p. 26 An abusive pastor “has a low opinion of coworkers and is very critical of others’ mistakes.” p. 26 An abusive pastor “controls through unilateral decisions.” p. 26 An abusive pastor “points to errors.” p. 26 An abusive pastor “pushes and drives.” p. 26 An abusive pastor “lectures.” p. 27 An abusive pastor “talks at people.” p. 27 An abusive pastor “triggers insecurity using fear to achieve compliance.” p. 27 An abusive pastor “avoids working by ‘dumping’ tasks and responsibilities on others.” p. 27 An abusive pastor “wants no constructive criticism, seeing it as a challenge.” p. 27 An abusive pastor “takes credit for all accomplishments.” p. 27 An abusive pastor “openly attacks and makes examples of those who have ‘betrayed’ him or left the organization in ‘disloyalty.’” p. 27 An abusive pastor “pushes people to burnout while reaping the rewards of their efforts.” p. 27 Re: ‘Personal gain,’ ‘denying others,’ ‘pushing,’ ‘driving,’ ‘dumping’ ‘burnout,’ and ‘reaping the rewards’: Honorariums for Staff and Volunteer Base: “The church did not pay me a high enough honorarium!” (1) the driver who picked him up from the airport had driven too dangerously fast – even recklessly – to get Hank over to the church in time for the meeting, and (2) the church had not paid him a high enough honorarium! (To be fair, from my best recollections, this was the only time that Hank shared this kind of thing with me. Hopefully, he no longer decides what preaching invitations to accept based on who is the highest bidder!) My Challenge to the Staff and Volunteers of CBC: “We’re sorry, Pastor Hank, we can’t minister for you this time. Just like you decided that you would not preach at that certain church “because they did not paid you a large enough honorarium,” so we have decided that you don’t pay us enough to continue ministering all over the area to promote you and your vision!” (If such a statement was ever made to Hank, how do you think that he would respond?)
A good friend of mine (and present member of CBC) informed me recently that many of those in CBC's ministry that not only minister at the Rocky Butte campus, but also at the Westside and/or Vancouver campuses, and/or at the conferences are feeling taken advantage of and burned out! Could we safely predict that this is just the beginning of the woes of the “one church in different locations” model? My guess is a definite yes, especially since CBC is apparently planning on having nine campuses (or, revenue centers!) in total. What will CBC do then when they want to impress the local communities with the best talent they have? Will they burn out their best talent? If they kill the goose, what will happen to its golden eggs?
Does Hank pay any of his staff or volunteers an honorarium for traveling around and ministering at his growing number of simulcast campuses? If not, why not? Does Hank not expect to be paid an honorarium whenever he goes to a church or conference to preach? Of course he does. So what is the difference between Hank and everyone else – since all ministry involves the investment of much time and talent no matter who does the ministering?
Several years ago, after Hank came back from ministering at a church east of the Rockies, he told me that he would NEVER go back again to that particular church to minister. When I asked him why, these are the two reasons he gave me:
Maybe it is time that some of the staff and volunteers at CBC, who provide Hank with thousands of hours of free labor every year, mirror Hank’s own words back to him by saying something like this the next time that he asks them to drive to another campus for more ministry:
Nehemiah 13:10-11 reads:
10 I also learned that the portions assigned to the Levites had not been given to them, and that all the Levites and singers responsible for the service had gone back to their own fields. 11 So I rebuked the officials and asked them, “Why is the house of God neglected?†Then I called them together and stationed them at their posts.
Is D-Mack suggesting that the volunteers abandon the house of God just like the Levites did in Nehemiah’s time, because there is STILL no provision for them in the house of God?!?
What a novel idea.
I sure do not think so. There is volunteering and then there is USE and ABUSE.
Too bad. If a church is going to reinstitute the OT tithe, which went to pay the priesthood of Aaron (animal sacrifice) and Levi (the worship leaders), then the tithe should be divided among the minister, staff, worship leaders, Sunday school teachers, etc. I can’t understand how the tithe can be re-instituted but then used in a way other than it was originally purposed: to feed those who work in the house of God.
My experience LL, has been that the minute there is a vacancy in a ‘ministry’ position, there’s someone chomping at the bit to fill the void. A friend says “ministry is the last idol to die”. I think my friend is right.
Sam
Jesus told the disciples to “leave them” , when speaking of the Pharisees in Matt.15:14. I also very much like the verses of Matt. 11:28-30, “Come to Me all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”
If those who are striving to please a leader would see that they are on a treadmill with a carrot dangling just out of reach, maybe they would step off and find rest in Jesus. The Kingdom of God is joy and peace and righteousness in the Holy Spirit, where “you will find rest for your souls.”
Good advice David!
whatHEsaid wrote:
“They are on a treadmill with a carrot dangling just out of reach…”
Hi whatHEsaid:
I like your treadmill metaphor. A treadmill is a device on which a person does the same thing over and over and over again but makes no real progress or advancement in terms of going somewhere. When I was at BT, the main focus was upon Dick Iverson as the senior pastor/apostle who, like Moses coming down from Mt. Sinai, would come back from his hotel room with a “word from the Lord” for all the rest of us to support. Our focus was on following whatever Dick told us to do for BT. Dick had the vision from God, and we were to help him fulfill it, because, it was falsely taught us: the local church was God’s only instrument to advance His kingdom! It was a treadmill for me and others personally because it was all about fulfilling Dick’s vision (that he had put on a blackboard once, photographed and had on display for the members to see, about which, by the way, Frank told me one time that he could not stand!).
If I had seen what was going on earlier, I would have gone back to school for a Ph.D., which would have been fulfilling my vision, rather than Dick’s (or, Frank’s, or another leader’s, etc.)!
What is the carrot dangling out in front of people in the churches run by pastor-kings? I think it is ministry and ministry opportunities. Everyone is sold a bill of goods that the way to minister is only up and through the leadership “covering.” (Frank Viola’s book, Who is Your Covering? helps to expose this false doctrine of human control.)
Christians hang around for years doing their best to catch the attention of their “elder” and get promoted to a higher ministry level. Preaching from the church pulpit is one of the biggest carrots, and also getting invitations from sister churches to go and minister in their churches. Carrots. Carrots. Carrots. Why? to keep people IN the church and ON the local church treadmill.
I am so happy that I am no longer on the local church treadmill – constantly checking every thought and word so as not to go against my “covering” – or get myself reported to the senior pastor, which happened to me more than once over the 18 years I was at BT. Today I enjoy a much more biblical and healthy view of ministry, while still keeping in healthy relationship with other believers, one expressed by John Wesley: “The world is my parish!”
David says….
I have been curious… what/who gave him the designation as apostle? Himself? Hank? God??
living life says…
“I have been curious…what/who gave him [Dick Iverson] the designation as apostle?”
Hi living life,
Great question! Many have asked the same one. My bigger concern, however, is the question who gives ANYBODY the desigation of “apostle?” Functionally speaking, men and women who have big churches and plant other churches are many times looked at as “apostles” by their own local churches and growing movements. Sometimes, in the IC, the title is used to give prestige to the “founding” pastor of such a church or movement. What the NT says is an apostle is a whole different subject…
What is very scary about this is that there is an entire “apostolic” movement afoot! If you’re interested in learning more about it (with many leaders named “apostles” and their churches entitled “apostolic”, see: C. Peter Wagner’s, The New Apostolic Churches (Regal). Bible Temple is mentioned on pgs. 171, 172, 175. Dick Iverson: pgs. 171-184. Also see by the same author, Churchquake (Regal). Frank Damazio is mentioned on pgs. 70, 88, 91, 94-95, 102, 264. Dick Iverson’s on pgs. 91, 94-95, 102, 130, 153.
This is a huge subject and so I must restrain myself. I will quote a few lines from each of the books above to provide some sense of what Wagner thinks about these apostles and their churches and movements. In terms of your question above, note especially no. 4 below:
C Peter Wagner writes about “apostles:”
“The five most crucial questions about apostolic ministry are: (1) What is an apostle? (2) Are there apostles today? (3) How important are apostles? (4) How does an apostle gain authority? (5) What are the qualities of a genuine apostle? (Churchquake, p. 3)
C. Peter Wagner writes about “apostolic churches:”
“My experience as a church growth scholar has led me constantly to ask four crucial questions: (1) Why does the blessing of God rest where it does? (2) Churches are not all equal. Why is it at certain times, some churches are more blessed than others? (3) Can any pattern of divine blessing be discerned? (4) Do those churches that seem to be unusually blessed have any common characteristics? (The New Apostolic Churches, p. 16)
Much could be said here, but I’d just like to end my post by asking C. Peter Wagner, in light of the recent moral fall of his own pastor, Ted Haggard, if he would see the apostolic church government at his home church, New Life Church, which essentially had the senior pastor only submit to those outside of his local church, any differently now? C. Peter Wagner writes:
“My pastor, Ted Haggart, calls the operation of New Life Church a ‘pain-free church government.’ The only decision in the hands of the congregation is to give final approval to the call of a senior pastor when a new one is eventually needed. The call is presumably for life. Meanwhile, the pastor names a board of trustees to look after the financial matters of the church and a board of elders to look after the spiritual ministry of the church. Both are named to support the vision of the senior pastor. Ted has an external board of overseers ‘nominated by the pastor and confirmed by the elders…’ to whom he submits and holds himself accountable.” (Churchquake, p. 101)
Dear Dr. Wager: It’s great that you are “a church gowth scholar,” but after seeing how Ted deceived you and everybody at New Life Church for years and years and got away with it until recently (2006), I think that a church government structure that was a little less “pain-free” for God’s people would have been much safer both for you, Ted and New Life church, don’t you?
David,
I too have found a much closer walk with Jesus, and really enjoy hearing from other believers in a house type meeting. I find the average housewife, auto mechanic, office worker etc, to have much more valuable input in my walk with Christ than the local Greek Sophist who insists on standing on a platform or appearing on a huge TV screen. No more land or building purchases to make, just bring some food for the meal after the time of sharing. They’ll even let me bring a musical instrument without insisting that I attend 2 years of training
I’m glad you liked the metaphor.
an/or signing a ‘tithe pledge’! (I’ve come to see that as a violation of Matt.5:34) What freedom there is in Christ!
I just want to echo what has been said here already. It is so enjoyable simply gathering in my, or one of the others we regulary gather with, living room, or wherever…pub, restaurant, park, etc… and just allowing Jesus to lead the time.
I had no idea Jesus wasn’t inept at guiding believer’s time together. I guess I always assumed some mighty man of God, somewhere in Church history, must have received a word something like the following, from God: “Dear saints, I am really not much for leading your gatherings. I stumble badly in my speech, I’m too perfectionistic, I tend to show off a bit too often, and I’m generally tactless, so I need some of your erudite leader types to take up the slack in my abilities, and control the times you gather the saints. Oh sure, I appreciate that occasional nod My direction, but for the most part I’m not good at the leading stuff, so you take over for Me, would you please? Thanks, God.”
I absolutely guarantee you that it still blows everyone in our small gathering away every single week we gather, when after beginning our time together we remind ourselves and God that God can do far better than any one single pastor or group of elders in leading our time together, and then find, by the end of our gathering time, that He has done it again. We still can hardly believe He can pull it off in such edifying ways. Some of us are still nervous about praying that way at the beginning of our gatherings because we still silently expect God to blow it. He hasn’t messed up one single time. In fact, the only times it goes south on us is when some blowhard, like me, forgets I’m not in charge, and gets in God’s way, with my opinions or my ideas or my felt need to control something.
As long as we stay in the Spirit, let Jesus lead, and remember He generally wants to do that through most of the folks who have gathered, rather than just through one person, it goes amazingly well.
And, the added bonus is, “no more religious ministry burnout.” I’ve grown to actually minister because I just love it, not because I’m in charge, or get called “pastor Tom,” or get paid for it, etc. I love just being “one of the folks” these days.
So, for me, and those we gather with, we’re not too likely going to return to a system of doing things that burns out the saints and the leadership again. At least I can’t imagine why we would…
Great job to tom and Dave for clarifying what I’ve felt for a long time.
Here’s to no more idols and ministry burnout. Real love comes out so much more when you’re there because you want to be –not because you have to or
its Saturday night and I feel bad if I’m not at prayer today!