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? 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 You can watch a video of this episode and access further resources on the FIEC website.