The term “spiritual abuse” is a contested descriptor and therefore throughout this guide we will instead use the alternative terms “pastoral malpractice” and “abuse of power”. But whatever we call it, this is not a new extra-biblical category. This chapter explores the terminology and the practices it describes, looking also at the biblical censure of bad leadership and the responsibilities leaders have as under-shepherds.

The Bible is clear that church leaders have a trust from God with regard to their pastoral responsibility for the people in their care. The standards to which they are held are above and beyond those of other institutions and communities (Matt. 5:19-21; 1 Tim. 3:1-12; 5:7; James 3:1). Therefore, any emotional or psychological abuse they perpetrate are that much more reprehensible.

Pastoral malpractice has always been present within God’s church and is still present today. Sadly, it will continue to blight our congregations unless more effort is made to identify, expose and address controlling behaviour, bullying leadership and an expectation on the part of some leaders of unconditional loyalty.

Church leaders are called by the Great Shepherd to make every effort to prevent and respond to abuses of power and to deal justly and tenderly with all those who are victims of such abuse.

Culture – the accepted and expected ways of thinking and behaving  – is a powerful factor in the life of any group or community, and any local church is no exception. Creating and sustaining a spiritually-healthy culture is vital in the life of a church for many reasons, not least because it may help guard against the abuse of power by leaders or factions within the membership.

This chapter includes a description of what a healthy church culture should look like, along with a diagnostic tool to help identify areas where your church needs to change and develop in line with God’s Word. This will include things such as humility, honest reflection, prayer, repentance, openness to criticism and correction, a willingness to ask the hard questions, to be held accountable by others, and to develop links with other gospel churches.

The idea of a gospel church developing an abusive culture may seem unthinkable but the hard reality is that it can, and it often does happen. Instead of being a context of care, nurture and growth, the church becomes an environment of harm. The long-term distress that this causes and the damage to the witness of a church in the community will be deep and lasting. In this chapter, we look at what happens when a church goes wrong and its culture becomes abusive. We need to learn from past mistakes so they will not be repeated.

This chapter defines trauma in the context of spiritual abuse and gives pastoral advice on how to care for those who suffer.

A legacy of trauma is often the result of the experience of abuse. Trauma is a literal or metaphorical “brush with death” that is too much, too soon and too fast for the mind to process. The effect of past events may create a psychological wound that leads the sufferer to “act out” that pain in the present, thereby damaging relationships in the present. The trauma of spiritual abuse may well threaten the faith that, for the Christian, is their refuge against other forms of abuse. Instead of finding comfort in faith and fellowship, the trauma may create doubt and fear of things that were once most precious, and make uncertain what were once fixed and certain convictions. It may distort a Christian’s understanding of God and the church. Those who experience the effects of spiritual abuse often live with the tension of looking for comfort in their faith but finding that faith to be also the context of their abuse.

In this chapter, we will be looking at how a church puts in place procedures to ensure that complaints and concerns are heard and responded to in a timely, appropriate, and God–honouring fashion.

We recognise that some churches will be independent, and some will have denominational structures which provide help and also place certain obligations on a church when dealing with allegations. Church denominations and networks can also be of great help in writing policies and in any formal process of investigating a leader.

Whatever the ecclesiastical structures, there are a number of vital principles to bear in mind in developing policies and dealing with allegations of malpractice

While there are still some broad principles that stand; media relations have become very complicated in a very short period of time. This began to happen with the rise of the internet, but has since exploded, with the rise of social media platforms and the ubiquity of tablets and smartphones for rapid access and response. It means that the lines between traditional media and new media have become blurred, and not everyone is playing by the same rules.

Almost inevitably, serious complaints and allegations in a congregation will find their way into the public domain, via both traditional and new media. This chapter offers advice to churches on how to understand their responsibilities and exercise wisdom in their public statements.