Care, Power, and Abuse in the Local Church
What do we mean when we talk about spiritual abuse? It is a useful term or unhelpful? How do we respond to those who reject the terminology or who want to embrace it uncritically?
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In this episode, FIEC Head of National Ministries Adrian Reynolds and FIEC National Director John Stevens discuss some of the principles of what we mean by 'abuse' and how they relate to churches in FIEC.
00:00 - Introduction
00:53 - Is abuse in scripture?
05:17 - The focus of ministry is not power but care
09:35 - What the New Testament says about leadership
12:55 - Arguments for the language of abuse
18:09 - Redeeming power (Diane Langberg)
21:54 - Should use of power be contextual?
27:50 - The importance of emotional intelligence
Further resources
In:Dependence is FIEC’s official podcast, where you’ll hear teaching and resources for church leaders from the FIEC Ministry Team and guests from FIEC churches and partners.
You can subscribe by searching for “In:Dependence” on your favourite podcast app or by subscribing to the FIEC YouTube channel.
Adrian Reynolds
Adrian is FIEC's Head of National Ministries. He previously served as Associate Minister of East London Tabernacle Baptist Church and is currently an elder at Christchurch Harborough.
John Stevens
John has been FIEC's National Director since 2010. He also serves on the Affinity Council and teaches on courses at Bible colleges across the country.
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