CCC 27-2_LR

PASTORAL CARE

God calls believers to advocate for the vulnerable, seek jus tice, and protect those in need (Proverbs 31:8-9, Matthew 25:40). Safeguarding involves creating safe environments, preventing abuse, and responding appropriately when abuse occurs. All adults in the Church are called to safeguard and are obligated to protect children and others at risk. Safeguarding is a proactive, multidisciplinary task that requires the whole Body of Christ. It is crucial for the Church to have trauma-informed mental health professionals who use their expertise to promote healthy church systems and compassionate care for trauma survivors. For Christian counselors to faithfully play their safeguarding role in the body of Christ, we must understand a few key dynamics of abuse in the Church. All Abuse is Fundamentally the Exploitation of Power In her book, Redeeming Power: Understanding Authority and Abuse in the Church , Dr. Diane Langberg engages with the reality that all people have power or the ability to exercise some measure of influence or impact over the world and others because we are all made in the image of God. We have different levels of power in various relationships. Examples of positions of power include counselor over client, boss over employee, and spiritual leader over congregant. God commands us to steward our positions of power in service to the vulnerable. Abuse occurs when a per son ignores this command and uses their God-granted power to exploit, harm, or manipulate. Acts 20:28 (ESV) instructs spiritual leaders to “ Pay careful atten tion to yourselves and to all the flock….” This type of “careful atten tion” requires humble self-examination and repentance as they pursue Christlikeness in their service to the Church. This reflexive practice can prevent abuse of power and is essential for ongoing spiritual formation. As counselors, we should also examine our hearts for ways we are tempted to use our influence to exploit oth ers or meet our own needs. This is one of the many skills neces sary for effective safeguarding. Abuse Thrives in a System of Coercion and Complicity Spiritual abuse, or the perversion of religious or spiritual beliefs to exert control over someone else, creates cultures that silence disagreement. This can make people vulnerable to grooming tac tics and allow room for other types of abuse to flourish. When a person or institution creates an environment that enables abuse or disregards clear signs abuse is occurring, they are complicit in the perpetrator’s actions. James 4:17 (ESV) says, “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” Consider the following scenario. Elizabeth always admired Pastor Greg. His sermons were grounded in Scripture, and he seemed to have an uncanny ability to speak directly to her strug gles. When she joined the leadership team, she was thrilled to be part of a thriving, gospel-focused ministry. Over time, Elizabeth noticed troubling patterns. Pastor Greg emphasized the impor tance of loyalty to church leadership and expressed anger toward those who disagreed with him. He often said, “The enemy is always looking for a way to tear down God’s work. We must guard against gossip and slander at all costs. Anyone who brings division into this church will answer to God.”

SPIRITUAL ABUSE, OR THE PERVERSION OF RELIGIOUS OR SPIRITUAL BELIEFS TO EXERT CONTROL OVER SOMEONE ELSE, CREATES CULTURES THAT SILENCE DISAGREEMENT . THIS CAN MAKE PEOPLE VULNERABLE TO GROOMING TACTICS AND ALLOW ROOM FOR OTHER TYPES OF ABUSE TO FLOURISH.

Christian Counseling Connection 31