I have worked hard over many months to work towards defining our goals and our organizational structure into a healthy, wholesome and nurturing environment. This goal became more and more threating to our Minister and finally burst out in a conflict with myself over a pronouncement from the pulpit that put them in clear opposition to a board decision which they had agreed with previously. No one on the Board knew the Minister was going to do this.

But meeting just once a month does not give your board much power and limits their ability to reach out and react to ecclesiastical excesses or even abuses (as I was to learn).

Today, after 5 weeks of sheer hell in which I and other active members of volunteer committees were repeatedly told that we were “not coming from a spiritual place” by our ministers. Where the President of the Board, even after being advised of these abuse and seemingly worked as a mole for the ministers, while assuring me they were working towards resolution, brought a small measure of vindication for myself and others who have held tightly to the spiritual truth that “all of us” are created by and within God.

The Board removed our ministers from all committees and forbid them from EVER exerting spiritual authority over our congregants ever again. There will be more corrective action to come but what a huge cost these ministers have exacted in their dysfunctional rampage to consolidate their power.

For me, I have watched good, active volunteers be drummed out the church with spiritual abuse from our ministry, even my own spouse resigning from her committees today. I remain for I do not feel led “yet” to abandon my original purpose, which was to assure that our church was a safe and loving community that brought spiritual nurturance to our congregants.

I will continue to press forward for a committee composed of 2 ecclesiastal, 2 board members and 2 congregants that will have OPEN DOORS for congregants to report concerns and abuses within the church. And that committee should be empowered to engage in making recommendations for correction to our board.
I NEVER want to see what I saw happen in our church occur again. But it took 5 weeks for our Board to take action.

Where this is all going to end up, I don’t really know. But what I do know is that when your ministry or your church structure can allow the purposeful abuse of congregants, it’s time to go to the drawing board. I did that and I am meeting with the Board to set an entirely new organizational chart in place that puts checks and balances in place. It also dissipates the “power” of the clergy. WHY would your clergy need “power” in the first place if they are there to “serve” their congregants?

Ministers who sit on every committee, who use their greater “spiritual” authority as their “reason” for dysfunctional or destructive behavior, need counseling and a good dose of boundry limiting decisions from their Board. I as a board member am there to serve my community, NOT the Church of XXXX! And that is my testament to my spiritual integrity.

What has been painful for me was my absolute inability to stop the assault on myself and others using the existing rules. So we will be changing the rules to make sure that this sort of abuse never occurs again without quick redress for those subjected to it.

Unfortunately, for me, the cut may have been to deep for me to remain in my church. I will see once I have helped my Board put into place safegaurds to assure that situations such as have occurred over the past 5 weeks, NEVER devolve to the place where congregants must leave to find peace & safety from the very place where they should be receiving comfort.

Now, on the surface, you just sound bitter. It didn’t turn out like you wanted, you were misunderstood, had a problem with authority, etc., etc.

The problem is servanthood. Jesus gives the picture to those infighting, influence-seeking disciples of his–”If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all, and servant of all” (Mark 9:35, NAS).

The problem I have? That’s what many authority figures desire in a volunteer, but not what they emulate themselves. That’s grounds for spiritual abuse.

The Master we serve, Jesus Christ, is the standard for all character and living. Anyone who won’t humble him- or herself to His standard of sevanthood should be shrinking in your rearview mirror.

I think your final paragraph says it mostly …”of where a good servant attitude ends…”