Rio Summers

“Perhaps we find it easy to sympathize with leaders who, in the face of unsustainable expectations, step outside their legitimate authority to ‘get the job done’. But what happens in the process is that they discover they can exercise power that isn’t rightfully theirs, and the church won’t question it but rather allows them to act unaccountably. The unspoken understanding is that the minister is the CEO, so is probably authorized to do whatever they like. This is a first step towards people looking to the minister rather than to Jesus.”
― Marcus Honeysett, Powerful Leaders?: When Church Leadership Goes Wrong And How to Prevent It

“The key principle, however, is this: power must be exercised wholly for the benefit of others and not for the benefit of the leader. Christian leadership, modelled on Jesus’ leadership, is self-giving, not self- serving.”
― Marcus Honeysett, Powerful Leaders?: When Church Leadership Goes Wrong And How to Prevent It

“Churches that lack accountability structures for leaders (or where leaders have dismantled them) are powerless when things go wrong. Not only are they driving without a seatbelt, they have cut the brakes and may be hurtling towards a cliff.”
― Marcus Honeysett, Powerful Leaders?: When Church Leadership Goes Wrong And How to Prevent It

“Leaders who are reluctant to engage with Scripture, or who insist that their way is the only scriptural way without discussion, or who demand obedience without reference to Scripture, are almost certainly outside the limits of legitimate authority.”
― Marcus Honeysett, Powerful Leaders?: When Church Leadership Goes Wrong And How to Prevent It