UNITED STATES
Forbes
Rob Asghar
The crisis at the famed megachurch Mars Hill church has led to steep declines in attendance and revenues and sudden layoffs and closures. It came as a result of the reckless leadership style of its leader, Mark Driscoll (chronicled well in a recent piece by Seattle Times reporter Craig Welch).
Beyond the problems attributed to Driscoll’s behavior, other questions should arise. For example, why do these situations happen? Do toxic leaders build up toxic followers, or is it the other way around? It, in fact, seems to be a complicated tango, one in which each side gradually leads the other off the precipice.
Some years ago, former Los Angeles Times religion writer William Lobdell wrote about his experiences covering the sexual abuse scandals of the Catholic Church. Lobdell shared that what broke his spirit wasn’t the way the church leaders refused to see the truth, but rather the way the ordinary laypersons refused to see it–how they shouted down peers bold enough to speak honestly about their traumas, how they sought to rationalize any evil done by their beloved leaders.
That’s one crucial aspect of the link between toxic leaders and followers. In the case of megachurches, there’s also the appeal of protecting one’s part in a big, impressive show — like being a regular at the cool club that everyone talks about. The star of the show is usually an uber-charismatic, dramatic salesperson. Like the brash and humorous Driscoll.
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