4 Major Imbalances
1. Imbalance of Authority
The pastor is always the spiritual leader, the shepherd and guardian of the flock.
In his pastoral role as a representative of Christ, he is expected to act accordingly in all of his interactions with the congregation under his care. This creates an imbalance of power/authority since he is the one spiritually in charge of the church.
2. Imbalance of Knowledge
He is also the one who has the greatest spiritual knowledge and many years of Biblical training. He knows that his role is to lead sin-sick souls to the “Fountain of Life.” The pastor has the ability to lead others to Christ, or away from Christ, if he chooses to distort Scripture.
3. Imbalance of Experience
Just as a physician is trained to help the physically sick and, with his knowledge, diagnose the illness, so too, the pastor with his many years of education and experience can, with the mind of Christ, see that this is someone who is not spiritually whole.
4. Imbalance of Responsibility
A physician is sworn to uphold the position he occupies and to heal the sick, so too, the pastor must take responsibility for upholding the position he has pledged to God.
Why is there so much confusion on this point?
We could also add a 5th imbalance, age. Many women, especially if they have been abused as children, have a desire to have a father-figure in their life, one who will treat them better than their own father. When the pastor is much older than the woman he abuses, it is often the case that she looked up to him, admired him as a father-figure, but never as a partner or spouse.
This is just an overview of the imbalances and this topic is explored in greater detail during our seminars and training sessions. The Hope of Survivors is the first organization to outline the imbalance of power in this manner. If you desire to share this information with others, please also share your source for this information. Thank you for your courtesy.
Please review our Facts vs. Lies section for additional helpful information!