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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