Does slavery exist in today’s church? I believe that it does, especially in the Charismatic stream of which I have been a part of for over 30 years. I have seen a lot of good things in this movement, but I have also seen a lot of harmful things. One of the most harmful things is what I will call “spiritual slavery”.
Spiritual slavery happens when a senior leader, be it a pastor, prophet, apostle, etc., finds some younger men or women to serve them as “armor-bearers”, or spiritual sons and daughters. Most of the time, these young people have a perceived call of God on their lives and they have a desire to learn. They are promised that if they serve well, then they will inherit a double portion of the senior minister’s anointing or mantle. Or, they may be promised a spiritual inheritance that comes from the senior minister. They might even be told that they will take on the DNA of the senior minister. While all this sounds good and promising for the young, hopeful ministers, it can have dangerous consequences later on.
I have no problem with young, called ministers learning from, being mentored by or even serving an older, seasoned minister. I believe this is Biblical and Kingdom-minded. The older are to teach the younger. However, I have seen this go to the extremes.
Slavery occurs in the fact that over the course of time, the armor-bearer can end up doing things for the senior minister just simply because the senior minister either doesn’t want to do them, or they end up obtaining free labor from the “armor bearer”/son/daughter. Young men and women have often been called upon to mow a pastor’s yard or clean their house all in the name of serving them. Most of the time it is done for free or for very little money. The guise is that is always about serving the man or woman of God with the promise of obtaining something spiritual from them.
If someone wants to serve their pastor out of love and devotion, on their own volition, then I say go for it. There is nothing wrong with wanting to bless someone. But, when it is expected, or even demanded, in order to gain an inheritance, an anointing, a double portion, etc. it becomes spiritual slavery!
Unfortunately, it happens all the time and it needs to stop!
Spiritual Slavery in Other Ways
It happens in other ways as well. When people are made to feel guilty for missing a church service, this is spiritual slavery. They have become slaves to attending the services.
When people are manipulated into serving in a ministry, or made to feel guilty if they don’t help with a ministry, this becomes spiritual slavery.
When manipulative tactics are used in taking up an offering, this can be spiritual slavery.
Anytime someone uses manipulation, guilt or condemnation to get another person to serve or to do something, spiritual slavery can be occurring.
And it’s satanic.
Freedom
Christ came that we would walk in freedom. Never, ever, ever does God want us to lord our influence, power or authority over someone else. We are called to serve. As leaders, we are called to serve those under us, yet we seem to have that backward.
Often, leaders see their congregations as people who are called to serve their vision. If it’s all about the pastor’s vision, then where is Jesus? I am not against pastors having a vision to reach a city, region or people group. But our job is to serve the vision of Jesus collectively, each of us doing our part in fulfilling that vision. It’s Jesus’ church, not mine. It’s not my job as a pastor to get free labor out of a younger person in the name of them paying their dues to get what only Jesus can give.
I once heard the story of a young minister where he was expected to stand outside of the church’s restroom while the pastor when in to use it so that no one else would go in while the pastor was in there. This is ludicrous.
Serving Should Be Voluntary
Serving someone should always be voluntary and out of love. Pastors and elders should not expect people to serve them. Jesus said that he came to serve and not be served. Leaders are to set the example of servanthood by being the best servant. Jesus washed the disciples’ feet and then expected them to serve one another in the same way. The greatest among them was to be the servant of all.
Spiritual slavery exists because we have insecure leaders who like the feeling of others serving them. It makes them feel important and powerful. Some like having control over others. Many times, they will manipulate those under them in order to keep them in line. I’ve heard of pastors telling younger ministers that if they broke relationship with them (the senior leader) then their (the young minister) ministry would never amount to anything. That’s manipulation. Your pastor didn’t call you into the ministry, Jesus did. He didn’t die for you, Jesus did.
Why?
Why do so many Christians subject themselves to this type of abuse? I believe that it’s because we have had faulty teaching. The teaching of being an Armor Bearer is an Old Covenant model. While I do believe in spiritual sons and daughters, most of what is being taught today isn’t correct or even feasible. Many people are being called a spiritual son or spiritual daughter when in fact they aren’t even disciples of the person they call father/mother. Just because someone speaks into my life or even gives me guidance doesn’t make them my spiritual father. It is much deeper than that.
Another reason is the insecurity in the body of Christ. We have many people looking for fathers because of our fatherless generation. Many are simply looking for a father’s approval because they didn’t have a father that poured love and affirmation into their life. Many fatherless people are emotionally weak and affirmation poor so anyone that will show them affection and attention will get their devotion. If the leader is a manipulative, power-hunger, or insecure in their own lives, then this is a recipe for disaster. The young person will end up becoming a spiritual slave in order to get the affirmation, love, and attention that they so crave, while the insecurity of the senior leader gets fed an unhealthy diet of power and ego.
Anytime that you feel condemned and put down by your spiritual leader, then you are in a dangerous relationship and need to get out. There is no condemnation in Christ. There is no fear in Christ. There is no degrading in Christ. Even when Jesus has to discipline us, it is always done in love and mercy.
I have been in my fair share of meetings where I, or someone else, was berated and made to feel worthless either because we had handled a situation wrong or the leader just didn’t like the way we did things. At that time in my life, I was so insecure and emotionally messed up I was too scared to get out.
I became a spiritual slave.
There are many in the body of Christ.
It has to change!
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