Limitless people can - and must - be stopped

Benevolence, transparency, and the possibility of confrontation and confrontation are the best bulwark against boundless people, whether they are disguised as priests, politicians, businessmen or something else entirely, writes President of FriKirkeNet, Tonny Jacobsen

By Tonny Jacobsen, Chairman of FriKirkenNet

The ongoing trial of a now-former leader from Byens Kirke in Silkeborg, testifies to what can happen when a limitless human being is given almost unlimited power. It invites reflection in all contexts where charismatic leaders are an important part of driving the momentum of projects.
Whether we are talking about politics, IT companies, fashion designers, handball clubs or the local parish or free church, charismatic leaders play a crucial role in developing ambitious projects.
In most places there are checks and balances that ensure that a charismatic but unbalanced leader does not get long in the boss's chair, so that the “company” and all concerned are harmed as little as possible.
But sometimes it happens that an unbalanced leader gains so much power that he or she cannot be kept empty, and then the spirit is completely out of the bottle.
This happened in the case of Silkeborg.

From the information that has already appeared in the media, a picture is drawn of a young man who gains so much power in a small free church that it develops into a small person-worshipping sect with all sorts of abuses.
How could it come to this? Why couldn't the normal checks and balances expose and dismiss the young man before he was seriously harmed?
As has been reported in the media earlier, it was the young man's parents who led the Free Church together with a Congregational Council. The congregation council chose to withdraw as they could not get through with criticism of the young man's use of money towards the father. This happened before 2010.
A young staff member from the church approached another free church and described the young man's behaviour as borderline, manipulative and sectarian. She was called upon to report the case to the police, which happened on the same day -- in March 2010.

At the same time, the union of Pentecostal churches, of which the young man, the father and the church were part, responded. The young man was immediately suspended while an adjudicatory case was initiated. The young man and the father never showed up for the talks.
As the church closed itself more and more about itself and did not respond to Pentecostal churches' injunctions for talks and supervision, the church itself was excluded by the denomination community. That was in 2012.
Alongside this, there were several police reports, notification to Silkeborg municipality and more. The pressure did not lead to a breakthrough in the case then, but to the young man moving to the United States, where he apparently continued his misdeed.

It's hard to hit borderless people. But some can be done to exclude them from influence, whether they appear in associations, political or church circles.
A good step along the way is to have a management model in which counteracting is natural, necessary and becomes in demand. An entire congregation council should not be forced to go because their concern is not being taken seriously. Then the priest must hold on and leave his seat.
Another step is to establish a safeguard so that competent managers “from outside” have spoken into the association and thus can prosecute if an unhealthy development is taking place.
A third step is safeguarding the rights of children and young people. The case from Silkeborg is particularly painful because young people have been sexually violated. Child certificates, cooperation policies and cooperation with authorities must be an obvious and indispensable requirement in any situation where children and young people are involved.

In FriKirkenNet, which organizes the country's free churches, we work for the implementation of all three principles at our member churches.
But is that enough? Could that have stopped the young priest from Silkeborg? Fundamentally, we believe that openness, transparency, and the possibility of confrontation are the best bulwark against limitless people, whether they are disguised as priests, politicians, businessmen or something else entirely.

Caption: The building on Nylandsvej in Silkeborg, which formerly housed the City Church. The building is today owned by Silkeborg Fisheries Association.
Photo: Google Maps