Pulpit, power, and the brain

Power dynamics are all around us. No person or community is insulated from them, including those connected as a family of faith. Power dynamics underlie what language we use or the tone we take. They impact who inspires us, our social media habits, and when we feel insulted. They are the water in which we swim, strongly influencing us whether we are aware of them or not. Basically, everything that has to do with how we live and move in society is influenced by power dynamics.

Wading too deeply into the sociology of power dynamics is beyond the scope of this article. Rather, we will explore the distinctive overlap of what power can do to the brain and what implications that has for those of us in ministry. Specifically, we will consider the following: How does power affect the mind of a minister? Do we see and understand how power impacts ministerial life? Are we feeling the negative emotional and mental impact of unintended and sometimes invisible power dynamics? What is the path toward healthier power relationships, both for the good of the people and the good of the minister?

The bible has a lot to say about personal power and ministry. It is clearly a topic God seems to care about very much. Two of the three temptations of Jesus were about power. The first temptation was for Jesus to use his power to provide for himself what he thought he needed – bread to satisfy his hunger. The second temptation was to submit his power to Satan by bowing before him. Satan offered for Jesus to trade his power as a child of God for the power to rule the earth. Clearly the rulership of Jesus is God’s will, but Satan offered an attractive short cut that did not require time, heartache, or personal sacrifice. There are many lessons for us in the second temptation of Christ, including that the end never justifies the means in the Kingdom of God.

Grounding ourselves in scripture, it is worth highlighting the expectation that all disciples of Jesus are to follow his example as described in Philippians 2:2-11.

2 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, ²then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. ³Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, ⁴not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

⁵In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

⁶Who, being in very nature God,
    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
⁷rather, he made himself nothing
    by taking the very nature of a servant,
    being made in human likeness.
⁸And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death—
        even death on a cross!

⁹Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
    and gave him the name that is above every name,
¹⁰that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.

(NIV)

In Paul’s mind, the instruction of Jesus to “take up you cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23) was not about being persecuted by the world. It was about imitating Christ in the form of humility – choosing to take the position of low power. The King of the Universe chooses the way of humility instead of the way of dominion to accomplish his goals. Obviously, heaven thinks about power quite differently than humans do.

The Brain and Power

Our brains, designed by God, are created to experience power. It is easy for us to experience both power and powerlessness. We may feel powerful when we get to skip the line or succeed at something important to us. But we may feel powerless when we are physically touched against our will or forced to express ourselves in ways that feel inauthentic or incongruent with our sense of identity. Because power is a social dynamic, power and powerlessness is something that we can cause another person to feel. It just takes a moment to create either emotion in another person. We can help another person feel power by praising them, or feel powerlessness by exercising our own power over them.

These are important things to consider in our interactions as individuals, but what implications about power and the brain should we be aware of as ministers?

In 2012, Boksem et al. discovered that holding power increases testosterone levels and creates a cascade effect on the rest of the brain which results in an increase in power-seeking behaviors and a reduction in inhibitory processes. The relevance of this comes into focus as we consider the stories of prominent religious leaders who, over time, become more controlling, more domineering, and potentially crossed lines into predatory behaviors. Such behaviors are not about sex as much as they are about power seeking and power wielding.

But of greater concern are the habits of power consistently utilized by most ministers. Psychologists have a means of assessing an individual’s need for power. The following categories were identified as indicators of power (Winter & Stewart, 1977).

Carry out strong, psychological or physically forceful, actions
Provide help or advice without being asked for it
Try to regulate or control what others are doing
Try to influence, bribe, or argue with another person
Seek to impress
Arouse strong reactions or emotions in others in a one-sided way
Concerned with prestige and/or reputation

How many of these experiences are part of a Senior Pastor’s job description? Where does preaching, pastoral counseling, church discipline, vision casting, community influence, or even conversion fall within this list? If we were truly circumspect, we could see that easily 6 of the 7 listed are part of the job description and expectations of a senior minister. One additional ‘high power differential’ item we could add that also pertains to the role of ministers is “knowing another’s secrets without them knowing yours.”

One could possibly interpret the job of a senior minister this way ^[I].

Carry out strong, psychological or physically forceful, actions – conversion, some preaching, some vision casting
Provide help or advice without being asked for it – pastoral counseling, some preaching/exhortation
Try to regulate or control what others are doing – church discipline
Try to influence, bribe, or argue with another person – conversion, some apologetics
Arouse strong reactions or emotions in others in a one-sided way – preaching
Concerned with prestige and/or reputation – brand/marketing/recruiting to your church and community reputation

It takes very little time for power to cause individuals to see others as objects and value them based on how useful they are, as opposed to their innate worth as a human being (Gruenfeld 2008). Additionally, they found that executives who had long experience with power showed that same objectification with all others, whether peers or subordinates. Our inability to learn from others may be an indication of a power-wired mind.

Fast and Chen (2009) found that power makes bullies out of people who feel inadequate for the role they are in. This is a shocking liability for those in ministry as we are constantly being bombarded, from without and from within, with messages of our own inadequacy.

Given that holding power creates the need for more power, the potential consequences for those who consistently experience these dynamics is great. It is more than a slippery slope towards being dogmatic or narcissistic. Rather, it is more akin to an unlimited opioid prescription that results in an addiction.

Six signs of narcissism in clergy were identified by Wilford and Wilford (2006, page 104-110):

all decision-making centers on them
impatience or a lack of ability to listen to others
delegating without giving proper authority or with too many limits
feelings of entitlement
feeling threatened or intimidated by other talented staff
needing to be the best and brightest in the room

We can see that some of the behaviors track with the need to acquire or maintain power. This also has significant implications for us as we increase the ecclesial presence in the online sphere ^[II]. New work is being done in the area of ministry, narcissism, and co-dependency with congregation ^[III]. It behooves all ministers to become acquainted with these issues. It is also worth significant consideration of all those in ministry as to how might the narcissistic profile create emotional and spiritual drain, resulting in weariness and burnout due to an unattainable job description? Can we change the job description of a senior minister so that we are neither recruiting narcissists nor rewiring them for the ‘dark side’.

It is likely that the experience of power over the long term erodes the brain’s mirror-neuron connections. Mirror neurons are the mechanism in which our brains ‘mirror’ one another. It is the foundational process for learning both physically and emotionally. It is how we learn to smile as infants and why yawns are contagious. It is how we experience compassion for physical pain or awe of someone else’s virtue. Our ability to feel empathy, to cry when another cries or laugh when another laughs, is because of mirror neurons. Empathy gives rise to morality, neurologically speaking. That means that an erosion or de-coupling of mirror neurons impacts the brain’s ability to learn, disconnects one from humanity and the ability to empathize, and is experienced by others as a degradation in personal morality. This is the long-term consequences of a power-wired brain.

Power and the Kingdom of God

In the way of the world, increases in power are accompanied by increases in liberty. This is what sociologists call the ‘privilege of power.’ It is why innocence is presumed for some while criminality is assumed for others. It is why some unknowingly speak first and others wait to be invited into the conversation. Society (including politics, the financial industry, and ministry) mistakenly believes that those with power have either earned it or somehow know something we don’t that gives them an edge. Societies consistently bestow increased freedoms on those with power.

Given our co-dependency within leadership structures and our unhealthy relationships with those in power, we also see that increased leadership corresponds to a decrease in accountability. Plainly put, in the world, those with more power have more liberty and less accountability. In the world, greater permission is given to and excuses are made for those in power. This creates a self-feeding cycle which generates narcissism.

This stands in opposition to the Kingdom of God^[IV]. In the Kingdom, increased power is accompanied by increased accountability. “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” (Luke 12:48, NIV) Power and accountability are directly proportional to each other. Additionally, greater power in the Kingdom does not yield greater liberty, but greater restraint. This is just part of the mystery Jesus prays about in John 17. Power in the Kingdom of God operates in opposition to the world, and there is no mistaking the two. It is a strong contrast meant to illuminate and identify followers of Jesus.

Pastor, we trade into the power of the world, thinking it will give us greater influence for our ministry. But the Kingdom of God never trades in the powers of the world. It is separate from it. Instead, we seek to be grounded in God and a conduit of his power. In that way, the power of the Kingdom flows through us and creates a space of influence in the world according to the Lord’s prerogative.

Solutions – preventing a power-wired brain in ministry

“Knowing where the trap is, that’s the first step in evading it.” – Dune by Frank Herbert

Since it is easy to feel powerful or powerless, the anecdote to a power-wired brain is easy. It simply involves having people in your life on a weekly basis that don’t act like a ‘fan.’ Speaking regularly with people who ‘get up in your business’ or roll their eyes at you is vital. If you find yourself thinking, “I can’t believe they are speaking to me this way, don’t they know who I am?!” it should serve as a warning flag. Siblings, spouses, and friends can all serve in this role. To be clear, I am not talking about relationships with people who are mean to us, just quality time with people who don’t believe the hype and are not afraid to sass or cajole.

Depending on the governance structure, there are different methods to employ. Every ministry leader should employ at least two of the following solutions below. But it is recommended to employ as many as possible for the sake of one’s soul and emotional health. Additionally, the presence of a hierarchical governance structure should not create the assumption that peer relationships or accountability exists with enough frequency to fight a power-wired brain. Instead of leaning on the institutional structure to provide this, one must intentionally build it into the weekly rhythms of life. Seeing a ‘good friend’ once a year, or calling someone ‘as needed’ would not be considered sufficient. A rhythm of experiencing healthy low-power and authentic transparency weekly is recommended, but monthly should be the minimum.

Habit 1: Be a friend

When I first started in full time ministry, I was given the advice that I could not be too close of a friend with those to whom I ministered. While this initially seemed like wisdom, when I watched the lives of those who gave the advice they were often filled with loneliness, isolation, and insecurity. That insecurity caused them not to build real, deep relationships, and such isolation led them to greater insecurity. By contrast, I watched and sought advice from those who were both healthy and had longevity in ministry. They did have close friendships with people in their congregations, among others. They pointed me to the life of Jesus who wept, pleaded with, and lived an authentic life in front of his disciples. After two decades of full-time ministry, I have learned the true wisdom of the latter group. It involves greater personal health and less image control, and it is completely worth the inevitable moments of pain.

One can learn to be honest with a congregation without looking to them for comfort. One can find a way to be healthy, both in front of people and with people. One can find a way to be authentic rather than manage the narrative with ‘fauxnerability^[V].’ Find someone who has served in ministry for a few decades, has been wounded or betrayed, and found a healthy life still in ministry on the other side. Listen to their wisdom and find a way to be a friend, just like Jesus.

Habit 2: Team leadership

Team leadership can happen in several ways. It can be a leader with a close team, or it can be co-leadership where the people serve in mutual submission to one another. While the governance may be different, the functionality and spirit of the group can often look the same. In either model, healthy teams are ones where people can push back and lovingly challenge one another. The meetings are more than reporting and delegating, where only one person has ideas. Rather, healthy teams are characterized by people having the freedom to share their mind and heart without fear of offense or retribution. There are many books on this subject; read several of them.

Habit 3: Peer groups

We all need peer groups of some kind, where we are a learner and a co-laborer with others. We need to know we are not alone, where the unspoken struggles are understood and we feel both seen and inspired. Many professions from doctors, lawyers, social workers, and psychiatrists form these groups for the sake of community and professional development. We should not neglect the gathering of the saints in places where we are not in charge and are free to receive. If it is a good enough charge for the congregation, it is a good enough charge for ministry leaders.

Some governance models consist of autonomous churches that exist in association with one another. This model lends itself well to peer gatherings for the sake of collaboration, learning, and fellowship. Whether one gives or receives in these gatherings, they should be attended regularly with a heart to do both. Even though we may disagree or feel unseen by those who are in our faith family, it is important to keep challenging our pride, grow deeper with God in our sense of identity and worth, and remember that the less painful route allows the brain to rewire for power and narcissism. It is better to lose in the world’s markers of success and keep your soul.

Hierarchical models have less structure to support the formation of peer groups. But those denominations who create peer groups by affinity or geographic region find much is to be gained through fellowship, peer learning, and leveraging the existing network. Besides, if those churches wanted to be independent, they would be in a different denomination.

Habit 4: Elders

We all need those who are wise and hear from the Lord to help us. We need spiritual parents, mentors, and disciplers. Each faith community is called to have elders who speak into the lives of the leaders. We all need to be submitted to somebody. Dig into scripture, learn your denominations requirements, and have a council of advisors who are not groupies but gardeners.

Habit 5: Leveraging structures

Governance Boards

Boards can be a good form of accountability. Indeed, that is what they are designed to do. For church models with board governance, the health of the board is critical. Healthy boards empower and champion ministry leadership. Unhealthy boards merely employ ministry leadership. Healthy governing boards or elder groups can provide council, encouragement, and wisdom for ministry leaders. Such support is invaluable.

While there are many benefits to board governance structures, it is important to be aware of a potentially destructive dynamic where the ministry leader feels powerful in front of the congregation but powerless in front of the board. This is dangerous for the ministry leader, the board, and the church. The best board-ministry leader dynamic is characterized by honesty and good rapport.

Hierarchical denominations

Some denominations are hierarchical, designed for both appointment and accountability. But hierarchy itself is not a guarantee of either accountability or support. Both must happen intentionally. Likewise, submission is not a matter of structure; it is matter of the heart. While it is not the purpose of this chapter to discuss a theology of submission, it would behoove each and every ministry leader to seek God and study the scriptures to develop a conviction of personal submission. Healthy longevity in ministry requires it.

Habit 6: Leading from a posture of low-power

In 2010, Carney et al. published findings on how the posture in which we hold our body creates feelings of power or powerlessness. Dana Carney has a fantastic TED talk on these findings and their potential application. Being the center of attention, the power-desk, and the pulpit are different forms of power posturing. Indeed, we are groomed and educated to teach the Word of God from a physical posture of power. But what that inadvertently instills in us is that the authority of scripture is experienced through the physical presence and prowess of the person speaking, rather than in the Bible itself. The psychological effective of this on the listener is the non-conscious lesson that they cannot learn truth or know God on their own. It is unfair to enculturate a person to be a powerless receiver on Sunday and then expect them to be active for the Gospel Monday through Saturday. One cannot expect people to live on-mission when they have not been taught their own agency. A church culture and the way a majority of the people behave during the week are perfectly matched to each other.

Leaders and church planters can, in part, easily create a culture of empowerment by learning about power-posturing and taking low-power postures while teaching or discipling. Spatial arrangements ideas include:

positioning the leader at the same physical height or lower than the group ^[VI]
increasing physical transparency – including windows, clear walls or clear podiums
online streaming where the leaders face is one face of many (i.e. gallery view)
sitting in a circle or arrangement that does not have a physical ‘head’

Taking the power dynamics out of the physical space so that others feel more empowered decreases the stress of those who are being taught, ^[VII] increases their creativity and ability to think abstractly. ^[VIII] This helps create a culture that is more likely to cultivate followers of Jesus than consumers of Christianity. It can also help reduce the prevalence of co-dependency in the congregation and thus the inappropriate expectation and burden on the ministers.

It is important to note here that taking a low-power posture is not the abdication of responsibility or authority. Rather, it is about using that authority to serve rather than dominate. Jesus abdicated nothing in either washing the disciples’ feet or dying as an accursed on the cross. Likewise, our understanding of our responsibility before heaven should not be tied to our experience of power in a worldly sense. The people we lead are not the source of our power, heaven is.

Kings and kingdoms

One of the biggest hindrances to designing a life of ministry and rhythm of accountability that prevents a power-wired brain is not in the structures of the denominations or malfeasance in the heart of ministry leaders. It is the people we feel called to lead. Like the children of Israel, people struggle with personal judgment, nuanced decision-making processes and ambiguity. Our inherent default for emotional laziness propels us towards abdication. Like a sugar addiction, we want to be told what to do and just have someone else figure it out for us. In short, people want a king.

The problem, as illustrated in 1 Samuel 8, is that people want someone who will, “judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.” (1 Samuel 8:20b, NKJV). But as the Lord told Samuel, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them.” (1 Samuel 8:7, NKJV) The problem that existed for Samuel so long ago exists for ministry leaders today – sometimes people want to abdicate their personal responsibility and accountability before God. You may not want to be a king, but the people will try to make you one anyway. The approval of the people is a double-edge sword as they are just as likely to turn on you. They are just as likely to put you on the throne as they are to put you on the cross. History demonstrates it can only take a week to flip that switch.

The good news is that we don’t have to participate with unhealthy people in their desires. A ministry leader does not have to be codependent with the congregation or the people they are ministering to. Instead, we can point them to the only king that is fully worthy, perfect, and without blemish. We can point them to Jesus, the head, the source, and king over all. Only Jesus will be able to satisfy every need. The rest of us will be sucked dry and burned out trying.

Resisting this pedestal takes discipline, healthy systems and structures, and the accountability support described above. Unhealthy people will either try to make you their savior, or they will make you their sacrifice. One must be aware of the tendencies and traps in order to healthily navigate ministry for the long-term.

One must also strain against the narratives of worldly leadership that is power-focused, whether overtly or subtly. It is beneficial to think of ministry as parenting, with the goal to raise mature adults in the Lord. Strong leadership is not a substitute for discipleship. Indeed, the need for it reveals a deeper discipleship issue. Toddlers need strong leadership, but adult children do not. We should be helping the people we lead mature and participate in the great commission of making disciples. If we are discipling people towards disciple-making, then the journey can never be about us. Both scripture and life demonstrate that God works mainly in hiddenness and occasionally in manifestation. So did Jesus (30 years verses 3 years). We should be content to follow suit.

Concluding Hope

The intent in illuminating these issues is not to bring shame. Indeed, shame is the enemy which we stand against. Shame is the core root of narcissism and abuse of power. Not dealing with shame will lead one to be more susceptible to cultivating a power-wired brain. But we can stand in hope that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. God created the brain with the ability to change. What has been wired-in can be re-wired. What has been learned can be unlearned. We believe in salvation, redemption, and sanctification. God gave us a brain that submits to all those change processes.

While some churches are led by narcissists, the rest of them are not. It is also important to remember that even in most churches there may be unhealthy power dynamics at play, they may not be prevalent enough to rewire the brain for power. Out there are people in leadership who are both healthy and mature. There are people who have navigated the traps of ministry and overcome them. Let them be your teachers, mentors, guides, and elders. Remember them, and have hope.

Philippians 2:2-11

⁵In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

(NIV)

Endnotes

[I] Of course, there are caveats to this matching as some may not apply to certain theology streams, denominations, or pastoral style. The analysis would depend on tone, posture, process, and method. But it remains that we train and educate ministers to carry out their duties from a position of high power.

[II] Cruickshank 2017. Challenges and opportunities in considering the internet as a 4th Space for ministry. Elemental Church Planting Conference, Toronto, Canada, (available on yourbrainbyjess)

[III] See E. James Wilder’s The Pandora Problem, (Deeper Walk International), 2018, and Chuck DeGroot, When Narcissism Comes to Church: Healing Your Community from Emotional and Spiritual Abuse, InterVarsity Press, 2020

[IV] Mark 10:42-4: Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” See also Mathew 20:25-28.

[V] Chuck DeGroot, When Narcissism Comes to Church: Healing Your Community From Emotional and Spiritual Abuse, InterVarsity Press, 2020

[VI] This suggestion may raise valid concerns regarding visibility, but creative methods such as amphitheaters, or centering the microphone and circling the chairs around it. Some Mennonite gathers have the cross in the center of the room, ringed with chairs, with the speaker’s microphone is in the back corner so that all are encouraged to contemplate Jesus during the teaching. Such an arrangement is sure to reveal hidden power needs.

[VII] Carney et al., 2010

[VIII] Smith and Trope, 2006

References

Boksem, M.A.S., Smolders, R. & Cremer, D.D. (2012). Social power and approach-related neural activity. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 7(5), 516–520.

Carney, D.R., Cuddy, A.J.C. et al. (2010). Power posing. Psychological Science 21(10), 1363–1368.

Fast, N.J. & Chen, S. (2009). When the boss feels inadequate. Psychological Science, 20(11), 1406–1413.

Gruenfeld, D., Inesi, M.E. et al. (2008). Power and the objectification of social targets. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95, 111–127.

Smith, P.K. & Trope, Y. (2006). You focus on the forest when you’re in charge of the trees: Power priming and abstract information processing. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 90, 578–596.

Williford, C., & Williford, C. 2006. How to treat a staff infection: Resolving problems in your church or ministry. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books

Winter, D.G. & Stewart, A. (1977). Power motive reliability as a function of retest instructions. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 45, 436–440.