What makes it so easy for toxic leaders to gain momentum? Why is it so easy for us to get caught up in the movements they generate, even at the expense of our own wellbeing?
Mark Driscoll, the founding pastor of the now-defunct Mars Hill Church, initially gained recognition as a successful church planter among Generation X. Within a year of starting his ministry, established church leaders recognized his potential and invited him to speak at conferences targeting young adults. They even supported his growth and helped him establish a platform.
“The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill” podcast series narrates the story of how Driscoll’s toxic leadership eventually led to his downfall and the demise of the church he founded. But how did it reach this point? How did thousands of people overlook warning signs and tolerate evidence of abuse for so long?
By delving into Driscoll’s archived messages and interviewing his former followers, certain patterns emerge.
Firstly, Driscoll would go the extra mile to care for people, such as delivering groceries to single mothers, providing transitional housing for families, and enlisting those he called to help him build the ministry. These actions inadvertently served to build his personal brand and foster loyalty.
Secondly, he consistently emphasized numerical growth: how much the church was expanding and the opening of new sites. These proclamations were especially prominent when preceding troubling news, like when he fired two board members who questioned the concentration of power outlined in the proposed church by-laws. Their opposition was viewed as hindering the mission.
People excused Driscoll’s bullying behavior for so long because he seemed to produce positive results. Who could argue with the conversion of souls and the transformation of families?
However, his preaching from the pulpit had detrimental effects on women, amounting to spiritual abuse. He disregarded and dismissed staff members who dared to question him, while refusing to be held accountable by other spiritual leaders, claiming that he had nothing to learn from them because his church was larger.
Driscoll constructed an illusion around his ministry that could be described as “malignant normality” – a distortion of reality that rationalized absurd behavior. Narcissists create conditions where actions that would normally be considered appalling are deemed acceptable.
It became normal for a pastor to use profanity during sermons, discourage women from working, and assume the authority to decide who could marry.
In such a system, people began to surround the leader, enabling their abuse of power. We can draw parallels to Germany in the 1930s when the people were burdened by war reparations and a global economic depression. Their vulnerability opened the door for manipulative figures like Hitler to distort their perception of right and wrong.
Absalom gained support by intercepting individuals en route to court, promising them justice and retribution (2 Samuel 15). In other words, he capitalized on their grievances to win their favor. This laid the groundwork for his insurrection. However, most of the people did not actively choose to become part of it.
Absalom invited 200 guests to Hebron, on a journey blessed by King David. Meanwhile, he sent secret messengers throughout Israel. When they heard trumpets blow, they proclaimed, “Absalom is king in Hebron.” The presence of guests with him gave the impression of strength, though none of them knew about the plot beforehand. That made it easier for him to sway others to join in.
Absalom created his own “malignant normalcy,” first by sowing seeds of discontent that made it easier to long for a different king. Then he provided the optics to position himself as the answer to their needs.
As the case of Mark Driscoll’s church shows, we are not unlike the people caught up in Absalom’s charisma. We have fears, offenses, and insecurities that can be exploited by someone seeking their own power. This makes it vital to practice self-awareness and recognize the weaknesses that make us vulnerable to deception.
Positive numbers and growth trajectories do not justify bad behavior. Our standard of right and wrong needs to align with scripture and we need to avoid making excuses for poorly behaved leaders — it just emboldens them. Even if a leader creates the perception of popular support, we are each still responsible for questioning whether they truly have the kind of character we want to follow.
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