Plumb Lines not Measuring Tapes
My guess is that many of you will have seen the recent reports about the investigation of safeguarding concerns relating to Mike Pilavachi of Soul Survivor. This is now being reported not just in the Christian press but also by the mainstream media. Several people have asked me about it, so I thought it might be helpful to make a public comment.
Firstly I want to acknowledge that it would be entirely wrong for me to speculate on the ongoing investigation. Let us all resist the temptation to gossip, to speculate about what might have happened or might happen next, or waste time going down internet rabbit holes trying to find out more. But that shouldn’t stop us from talking with one another about how these events impact us personally, and thinking hard about what we might do to try and stop them happening in the future. To that end I want to use the remainder of this blog thinking about why these things keep happening, and how we might respond in the light of that.
At one level for anyone with a Christian worldview the ‘why’ is simple. We are all sinners who have been polluted and corrupted by sin (Psalm 14:1-3), and even after we have come to faith in Christ we still battle against our ‘fleshly desires’ (Galatians 5:17). With this understanding the world does not divide neatly into ‘abusers’ and ‘abused’. Given the right circumstances, primarily having power and authority without accountability or apparent consequences, each of us has it in us to take advantage of others for our own benefit. That doesn’t excuse anyone from having to take responsibility for their actions, but it does help explain the roots of abuse. And at one level we should not be surprised that it keeps happening. Even a cursory reading of the Bible reveals that this is not a new problem.
But that said, the question remains of why the Christian world has such a poor track record of identifying and rooting out corruption and abuse. Every case I have heard of seems to include an admission that other leaders had had their concerns for decades, and that although people had bravely come forward to report their experiences they were ignored, shamed or not believed. I’m sure there are many answers to that question, but I reflect that a big part of the problem is that as churches and Christian organisations we often focus on measuring the wrong things.
I was speaking recently with a church leader who told me that early in his leadership he felt God telling him to imitate Zerubbabel in the Old Testament. Zerubbabel oversaw the rebuilding of the temple after the exile, building with a plumb line rather than a measuring tape (a plumb line is a string with a weight attached to one end which is used to make sure that the walls of a building are vertical). In Zechariah 4:9-10 God tells the people that:
The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also complete it.
Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you.
For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. (ESV)
I am sure that Zerubbabel did have a measuring tape (or the ancient equivalent). But more important than his measuring tape was his plumb line. A measuring tape will tell you how big a building is, but only a plumb line will tell you if it has integrity; whether the walls are true. The people could rejoice when they saw Zerubbabel with the plumb line because it told them that what they were building would last, rather than just looking impressive. They could have confidence that any faults which endangered the permanence of their construction would be identified and corrected before they became a threat to its longevity.
In the Christian world we for too long have used measuring tapes as our primary guide. For churches and Christian charities we have measured success based on numbers, size of budgets, buildings and influence. We have assessed leaders based on charisma, gifting, the success of their ministries, the conferences they get to speak at and the number of books they sell. There are several problems with these measures. Firstly they tell us nothing about the integrity of the person or organisation. For an organisation are the relationships within it healthy, does it value truth telling and honesty, is it a force for righteousness and justice, is the way money is used transparent and above reproach. For an individual where is their relationship with God, how do they behave when they’re not on a platform, how do they treat ‘ordinary’ people, would they want you to see their internet search history, are they generous, are they accountable, are they growing in the fruit of the Spirit and much more. These are all plumb line questions, questions which if we made them our primary measuring tool would hugely reduce both the number of leadership failures we see and the time it takes to detect them. Benefits of having plumb line measures include:
Leaders are incentivised and encouraged to focus on health rather than ‘success’, both in their personal lives and with the teams and ministries they lead.
We avoid the assumption that just because something is impressive and growing it must be healthy.
Those who identify that ‘the walls are not vertical’, rather than being seen as a threat to be silenced become a vital voice to be listened to.
We are unafraid to pull unhealthy structures down because we know that in the long term nothing of permanence can be built on them. The sooner we pull them down the sooner we get to build back properly.
We don’t feel the need to be defensive because we know that our transparency about our wonky walls will be an encouragement to others to build well too.
That hopefully speaks to some of why these things happen, and gives a hint of how we might start to do things differently. But that doesn’t negate all that has already happened. Every time I hear of another Christian leader who has fallen I have a range of reactions. Anger, a deep sadness for everyone impacted, disappointment, an awareness of my own weaknesses and temptations, wondering who is next, disillusionment with the Christian world, frustration that these things keep happening and anxiety about my own possible blind spots. But I am also thankful that God is cleaning up his church, grateful for those who over the years have had the courage to hold me to account, hopeful for everyone involved that in time God will bring good from evil, convicted to lead with a plumb line in my hand and prayerful that I might be part of the solution rather than part of the problem. I wonder how it makes you feel?
Kate Middleton, who did a hugely helpful session for us on mental health at the start of lockdown, has written a brilliant article titled ‘when your faith (in the church or its leaders) is shaken…’, exploring how we respond to leadership failures. I would encourage everyone to read it, and to share it with anyone who you know may be struggling. I won’t attempt to repeat what Kate has said as she expresses it far more clearly than I could, but I do want to finish by commenting on a few categories of people.
If you are a survivor of abuse by a Christian leader or organisation I want to recognise your pain and suffering and say how sorry I am for what you have been through. I pray that you will find safe places and safe people where you can experience healing. I pray that your confidence in God and his goodness and justice will grow rather than being diminished. I pray that in time you will find churches and leaders where you can can begin to rebuild confidence and trust. I pray that you will see God bringing good from the evil you have experienced.
If you are someone who has called out wrong behaviour I want to thank you for your courage. It is never easy to speak truth to power, and it often comes at great personal cost. I hope that you were listened to, believed and what you brought was acted on, but even if it you weren’t I want you to know that you have done the right thing - the outcome is not your responsibility.
If you are aware of inappropriate behaviour but haven’t yet called it out I hope you will. Do that initially by going to the appropriate person in the organisation in question and giving them the opportunity to deal with it. If that doesn’t work then you might need to consider other approaches, but that is the right place to start. If you have concerns relating to Kerith I would encourage you in the first place to contact our Safeguarding Officer, Hilary Hulme, who I can assure you will listen to what you have to say and take the appropriate action. That said I also realise that, for a variety of reasons, some won’t feel able to speak out. If that is you please feel no condemnation - God understands, and have confidence that in his time time he will bring the truth into the light and see justice outworked.
If you are in church leadership, or part of the leadership of a Christian organisation, please commit to measuring success using plumb lines rather than measuring tapes, both in your own life and in the organisation where you lead. Document and publicise your complaints process, and know in advance what you would do and who you would involve if a serious allegation was to arise. If people come forward with criticisms then please believe them, listen to them, and fearlessly ask God what he wants you to do with what they have to say. If you suspect you have a serious issue than seek external help sooner rather than later. Aim to be as transparent as possible in all your communication, not focussed on protecting the reputations of individuals or the organisation but on doing the right thing for everyone involved.
And for leaders who have fallen please know that in God’s kingdom failure is never final. Please be willing to confess your sins, both to God and to those you have sinned against, commit to learning from your mistakes and allow God and others to restore you. I believe that one of the signs that we are beginning to get things right is not only that we will spot wonky walls much more quickly, but also that we will also see leaders who have fallen being restored back into community, even if they may never again occupy the positions they did before.
I know there is so much more to be said, but my hope is that this blog might at least initiate some conversations about how we might do things differently. Even if you don’t agree with all I’ve written. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Simon
Photo by Dayne Bateman on Flickr