BISHOPS IN METHODISM

 

Church Leadership and Hidden Agendas

At the entrance to an international summit, these words were displayed "leave your ego at the door”  What is meant by “leave your ego”? A simple understanding of it is to "leave your pride and arrogance at the door.” But there is a lot more to understand why it is so vital to “leave the ego at the door”. We all have to agree to the fact that it is a difficult thing to do.

What is the Ego? While there are diverse interpretations on this, Marianne Williamson explains it in her book A Return To Love - “the ego is the false persona we have built up over time to protect ourselves, just like an actor may have taken on a character that they were only meant to play to further their career.”  If we try to let go of this character it will certainly get upset, because if we "leave our ego" we are effectively killing this false character – so it's going to fight for survival.

Do we really “leave our ego at the door” in whatever meetings and conferences we attend in the Christian Church? When I reflect on my involvement in the Church related gatherings during the last 40 years of my priesthood, I have to humbly admit that I have had my moments of "fight for the survival of the ego" At the same time I have had to learn this sound advise “An unbridled ego can create a host of problems for a leader if left unchecked.”

An unbridled ego produces hidden agendas

I have heard enough and more complaints from people in the Church who were at meetings and conferences and discovered their horror of “people in leadership” having hidden agendas. Persons with hidden agendas have had their wish and goals accomplished even at the cost of others and the general wellbeing of the church. 

We live in a world that speeds out of control with people who are only concerned with what they greed for and how to get it. Their agendas do swiftly become quite obvious.

 

Watch out for the manipulators who work with hidden agendas.

The problem we face with our Church Congregations is they are not alert enough to identify manipulators and the reality of having them in Church life. Those with wrong motives and hidden agendas are sure to influence others in making decisions that would only enable them to grab and survive in seats of power. While the manipulator remains silent and looks pleasant in the eyes of the public, those manipulated by him become “slaves” to do all the murky work for them. Sadly, the manipulated will finally be isolated and left to themselves after the manipulator achieves his goal.

A leader (either clergy or lay) with hidden agendas and motives will soon be found as domineering or as a manipulator through his politics. They use this to further their agenda for their wellbeing- and become master manipulators. Those who fall victim to manipulators must learn to resist by setting up boundaries around manipulation and find a way to let the manipulator know that you are fully aware of his attempt to manipulate you and that you don't want to be a part of that manipulation.

Watch out for the lies and deceptions behind hidden agendas

People with hidden agendas learn the deceptive art at an early age - While in school or with the circle of friends they move. Gradually consistent lying would have become a character flaw not noticed by the others. They can turn out to be pathological liars who show no signs and are so believable, they often deceive themselves.

How can the church identify and deal with such persons? The perfect way to know that a person is lying to you is through eye contact and body language. They will avoid eye contact - most people will not be able to maintain good eye contact and seem awkward when they are deceptive. When answering the questions you put to them, their answers will be vague. Their body language will show that they are nervous when you are around.

Keep a check on your self as a true disciple of Christ

Christian leadership is anchored in Christ who called people to be his disciples. One can't be a true disciple of Christ seeking what is in it for one's self. If you are a true disciple you can't operate with self-seeking hidden agendas. A Christian leader is also a disciple-maker. Passion for disciple-making is a very attractive term that impresses others about the ministry work you desire to do. Here are three important questions that should be a checklist of your passion:

• ·        What is my passion?
• ·        Could it be a part of God’s ordained purpose that looks and feels like a legitimate way to honour God? or
• ·        Is it just my selfish desire?

We must first be disciples before we can reasonably make disciples. We must be careful of our motives and not go beyond what is openly said or shown. God will soon reveal those undisclosed desires or “hidden agenda” for why we do what we do.

Hidden agendas jeopardize the morale of the Church

Hidden agendas are perhaps the single greatest moral buster within Church life. They conceal true motives and are in many ways deceiving. Once the person with the hidden agenda is exposed it can leave the people around him feeling demoralized and betrayed.

A leader with nothing to hide will always work for the wellbeing of everyone. “In the long run, people do not rally around a manipulator, but they will always respond to a leader who has their best interest at heart”

 

Rev. Asiri P. Perera

March 8, 2021