Power in the Church

“And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Mark 10:42-45

Power is neither good or bad – all relationships involve power dynamics to some extent. Relationships can either share equal power, i.e. relationships in which two or more parties have the same amount of power, or alternatively, they can be unequal so that there is a power imbalance. 

Power can be used in problematic ways or to gain an inappropriate advantage.  In a church context, similar to school and other contexts, relationships between leaders and the children and young people they lead are always are relationships of unequal power.

Sadly, we know that power can be misused. Some harm results from the deliberate misuse of power over someone else, for example coercion or physical abuse. Some harm comes from the failure of someone to use their power appropriately, for example a parent neglecting their parental obligations or a church leader not fulfilling their duty of care towards a child or young person.

Types of Power

A person may have power due to their position, their knowledge or some other personal factor.

A power imbalance can exist whether the person in ‘power’ is aware of this or not.

In a church context:

A person may have positional power if they are in a senior position or can access personal details, arrange rosters or perhaps make decisions.

A person may have knowledge power if they have good Bible knowledge, know the history of a local church or have particular professional qualifications. Knowledge power may be context-specific, where a person has detailed knowledge on a certain subject, or general, where a person is known to have a good knowledge of many areas.

A person may have personal power due to their age, beauty, physical stature, financial, or social status.