The Inner Circle

Cruella Deville and her bumbling, loyal sidekicks.
Scar and his hyenas.
Jafar and his loyal parrot, Iago.

All simplistic over-dramatized Disney caricatures of the narcissist in power and the mechanisms by which he or she retains it.

And yet, each illustrates common characteristics of the group dynamic an abusive leader puts in place in order to protect himself. In the cartoons, the loyal sidekicks do the leader's bidding, often receiving much criticism from him/her in the process. They stand to gain more than they suffer.

In a church setting, such dynamics might be most apparent in the relationship between the Pastor and individual members of the board of trustees, which is likely to consist only of yes-men - those most loyal to the Pastor. Complete loyalty would gain only approval and blessing. Raising objections might provoke criticism, but given the admiration towards the leader, such criticism might be mild, short lived and easily endured.

There can be a codependency between the Pastor and his inner circle. They need him - for emotional reassurance; for validation; for the sense of purpose he gives them; for the feelings of worth they gain from the positions and roles in which they are placed; for the thinking he does for them and the advice he gives. It is safe to say they would find it very difficult to survive without him. They are likely to lack a sense of healthy independence and may suffer from low self-esteem. To a large extent, the Pastor takes on a fatherhood role, which is never outgrown. Some may even enjoy the privilege of being rebuked, chastised, corrected or even insulted by him, in a perverse kind of way. It may provide them with the attention they seek. They certainly stand to benefit from the security he provides.

And, of course, the Pastor stands to benefit. He enjoys the devoted attention, the admiration and the validation they bring.

They are also vital in shielding the Pastor from valid criticism from those at a greater 'distance'. If the Pastor cannot be reached in person, it will be impossible to reach him through his devoted inner circle. The route exhorted by Jesus for dealing with an erring brother simply cannot work in this case:

Matthew 18:15-16  If your brother sins against you, go and confront him privately. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’…

If the Pastor will not listen to valid concern and the inner circle won't entertain it, there is nothing left but to remain silent or leave. The unspoken 'no-talk' rule and heavy preaching against 'gossip' and 'criticism' effectively stifles any 'horizontal' communication between the members that are most 'important' in the group.

If a church, or any human organization is to remain healthy, it is vital that a leader includes in his team those with a healthy sense of independence, able to think for themselves and safe in the knowledge that they can express their views without fear of reprisal.

It is simply not the case that a Pastor's position in the church entails that God only speaks direction for the church through him. There lies the route to lock-step thinking and unchecked, unbalanced teaching and practice 'from the top', which is likely to turn a healthy organization into a cult.