The Hidden Perils Of Spiritual Hero Worship In The Church

Church pastor holding a sign that says: "Let me be your spiritual hero..." — Many pastors don’t just play ‘the spiritual hero’ on Sunday morning. The spiritual hero has become part of their identity – they are the spiritual hero. (image courtesy of Canva)

Engage with Our Thought-Provoking Long Read: “The Hidden Perils of Spiritual Hero Worship In The Church” (Reading Time: 15 Minutes)

Embark on a reflective journey with Matt Vlaardingerbroek’s insightful examination of the complex dynamics of hero worship within various denominations of the American church. This article, spanning a thoughtful 15-minute read, delves into the intriguing questions of why and how spiritual leaders are often placed on pedestals and dissects the hero worship within the evangelical and charismatic world in the American church.

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Time and again, in the church, we are shocked by spiritual heroes who let us down, fall off their pedestals, or seem to make serious mistakes. For a few days, everyone is in turmoil, and then calm returns. The hero either disappears from view or survives the fall and seemingly continues undisturbed.

With Jesus, there is no ‘Mister Executive Pastor’ or ‘Mister Minister.’ Nowhere in the Gospels does Jesus seem to promote a separate hero status for some of his disciples. Then why does this feel so natural to us?

Where does this desire for heroes in the church come from? Why do we find them in all segments of the church? Not just in the charismatic and evangelical corner, but also within the reformed and Catholic churches? Why is it almost always about paid Christian leaders?

When I enter the VIP lounge for speakers and ‘important guests’ at a conference, I see here the ‘top 20’ of well-known evangelical and charismatic leaders. Where is sister Cathy, who prays two hours every day for the persecuted church? Where is brother Robert, the volunteer, who took two weeks off to make this event possible? What makes someone an ‘important guest’?

Why should we consider paid Christian leaders more important within the church than the people you never see but who pray, give, and serve with all their heart? Jesus seems to maintain a different scale of appreciation in his conversations with his disciples. He forbade his disciples to give people titles.

The hero cult has crept into the church

Without realizing it or daring to name it, it seems that over the past two thousand years, a hero cult or leadership worship has crept into the church. Partly due to the influence of the culture of the nations in which the church matured, church leaders also gained a kind of hero status.

Within traditional churches, there has been a reflection on how to meet this human desire. This has led to the hero status being built into the structure of the church. The great advantage of this is that the hero status has been given a limited and defined role. The priest or minister wears a robe to show that he is different from the people in the church pews. When he enters the church, people stand up for him. When he speaks, he may stand high above the congregation on a pulpit to speak on behalf of God. He is the (spiritual) hero.

But when he takes off his robe after the service and mingles with the congregation in his normal clothes during coffee, he is again an ‘ordinary’ man. It is like a play, where the lead actor joins the audience afterward and resumes his true role.

In most Reformed Protestant churches, playing the hero role is limited to the script.

Not so long ago, it was more difficult for many ministers to escape this hero role. The pressure to always be the minister was particularly strong in a village setting. As a minister, you lived in a glass house back then. Everywhere you went, you remained the minister. Of course, it was impossible to play this role twenty-four hours a day. Your family saw you constantly switching from one role to another.

But nowadays, in most Reformed Protestant churches, playing the hero role is limited to the script. Everyone knows what is expected of him or her. The hero role is demarcated and limited. At the end of the service, everyone, including the leader, can be who they really are.

No script for the evangelical and charismatic churches

How different it sometimes goes in evangelical and charismatic churches. In most cases, there is no script to shape this hero role, while the desire for the ‘spiritual’ hero is certainly no less great. Due to a lack of a script, there is no demarcation. As a result, some pastors run the risk of taking on a role that they ultimately cannot shed. They don’t just play ‘the spiritual hero’ on Sunday morning. The spiritual hero has become part of their identity – they are the spiritual hero.

Many pastors don’t just play ‘the spiritual hero’ on Sunday morning. The spiritual hero has become part of their identity – they are the spiritual hero.

Partly due to a lack of recognition, hero worship in these churches goes much further than in churches where this has been thought about. In some congregations, you may no longer address a pastor by his first name, but must put the word ‘pastor’ in front of his first name. Other pastors have their own parking spots at the door of the church. In certain churches, the parking spots for the disabled come after the parking spots for the pastor.

The (material) success of the pastor reflects on the success of the congregation.

Everywhere in the church, such as on the projector, on posters, on flyers, and of course on the website, you often see the pastor couple back. They are the spiritual heroes, the face of the congregation. The (material) success of the pastor reflects on the success of the congregation. His success is our success! Because the hero role is not delimited, the greatest excesses can arise around it.

An anthropological consequence?

As a neutral observer, you might conclude that anthropologically speaking, it is entirely obvious that the hero culture has also nestled itself in the church. Every human culture is in search of its own heroes. Menno ter Braak wrote about this in the 1930s:

“The tendency to hero worship is so general that it can be counted among the constant factors in the history of mankind. Everywhere around us, people project heroes, even heroes of very dubious lineage.

The hero, as may be taken as a settled fact, first and foremost fulfills a need; he fills a gap that apparently exists in many people because they cannot live without knowing the colossal enlargement of their own personality present somewhere.

In itself, therefore, hero worship does not at all prove that there are indeed heroes; the hero as a projection of a mass wish proves at most that the masses need a living being, outwardly in no way different from other living beings, to fully enjoy that projection.

One of the most characteristic properties of hero worship is that people want to strip their hero of his human weaknesses, that they want to create a kind of ‘superman’… also out of the pastor.

The worship of the football hero, for example, provides an example of heroism that should be limited exclusively to a particular skill in the sports field, but that in manifestations of hero worship shows very different proportions.

One of the most characteristic properties of hero worship is that people want to strip their hero of his human weaknesses, that they want to create a kind of ‘superman’… also out of the football player or pastor.

Therefore, the figure in which the hero appears in public (in the press, in meetings, etc., etc.) proves more for the crowd that wanted the hero than for the personality of the hero himself. To find that, one must look further than the official agencies. Hero worship without sharp criticism almost always leads to rhetoric and self-deception.”

The hero, whether a football player or a pastor, fulfills an important need. People cannot live without knowing the colossal enlargement of their own personality present somewhere. This need applies not only to the masses, who need a hero to gain added value. It also applies to the man who is bombarded as a hero. He too, consciously or unconsciously, derives part of his added value from this hero status. Everyone seems happy as long as the hero continues to strip himself of his humanity and continues to play his role as a hero.

The hero, whether a football player or a pastor, fulfills an important need. People cannot live without knowing the colossal enlargement of their own personality present somewhere.

Why wouldn’t these anthropological behaviors, which we find in all cultures, also apply to the human culture within the church? After all, the pastor doesn’t really have to be a hero. As long as people can project their own personality onto the pastor, then the true identity of the man behind the pastor doesn’t even matter. We don’t want to know the real man. We nourish ourselves with the image we have made of him.

Contradictory to the words of Jesus

The detrimental aspect of the hero cult within the church is that it is a taboo. We don’t talk about it. We don’t write about it. We do not acknowledge it. We have a good reason for this. The hero cult, which apparently does us so much good, completely clashes with the words of Jesus and with the writers of the New Testament. Jesus says about the spiritual heroes of his time:

“The scribes and Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them. They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger. But all their works they do to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments. They love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues, and respectful greetings in the marketplaces, and being called Rabbi by men.”

“But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. But the greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.” – Matthew 23: 1 – 11 (NIV)

Just before this, he says to his followers:

“You know that rulers oppress their people and that leaders abuse their power. But it must not be so among you. Whoever wants to be great among you must serve the others, and whoever wants to be first must be your servant – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” – Matthew 20:25-28 (NIV)

In following Jesus, there is no place for the human craving for heroism.

What a clear message. In following Jesus, there is no room for the human craving for heroism. Heroism within the church is not a logical anthropological consequence of human culture, which projects greatness onto others. It goes much further. It is an observation of Evil. It is the Ring (LOTR, Tolkien), which Gollum intensely desires, and for which even Frodo and, at an unguarded moment, Gandalf nearly succumb.

Is power automatically wrong?

Does Jesus thereby condemn leadership in the church? Absolutely not! It’s our twisted thinking that automatically links leadership, power, and the cult of heroes. Jesus is not averse to power, even within the church. It’s about the misuse of power, which allows oppression, abuse of power, and the cult of heroes to reign. Power is not wrong. Power can be both good and bad, both a blessing and a curse. The difference lies in the root system underlying this power.

In the Garden of Eden, we see that Eve is consciously immersed in fear by the serpent. ‘Suppose God has lied. Suppose He is not trustworthy. Suppose He is not as good as I thought.’ Distrust of God, based on fear, makes her reach for power. ‘If I eat this fruit, I will be like God. Then I will possess power and be like God, a bearer of the knowledge of good and evil.’

When fear is the root system under power, this power will dominate. If fear plays an underlying role in church leadership, power is distorted into dominion.

Because of the first equation ‘fear + power = domination,’ we are often very wary of power and leadership within some churches.

We are in the upper room at the Last Supper. Jesus knows His time has come. He will return from the world to the Father. He loves the people who belong to Him in the world, and His love for them is to the utmost. Because Jesus knows that the Father has given Him all power, that He comes from God and is going back to God, He gets up during the meal. He takes off His outer garment, wraps a linen cloth around Himself, pours water into a basin, and begins to wash His disciples’ feet and dries them with the cloth He has wrapped around Himself. Jesus is not powerless. Absolutely not. He possesses all power. He is the only one who can fully carry the Ring of Power without being corrupted. The root system under His power is not fear, but pure love.

When pure love is the root system under power, this power will serve. When love plays the underlying role in church leadership, power transforms into servant leadership.

But fortunately, there is a second, a glorious equation where ‘power’ is included. This equation reads ‘love + power = serve.’

So, we are dealing with two completely different equations. In both equations, ‘power’ plays a major role. Because of the first equation ‘fear + power = domination,’ we are often very wary of power and leadership within some churches.

But fortunately, there is a second, a glorious equation where ‘power’ is included. This equation reads ‘love + power = serve.’ Jesus did not deny His power, but showed humility and servitude in His power.

Fear creates a vacuum

The cult of heroes rears its monstrous head as soon as things go wrong in the church in terms of power. When we are afraid of power, the cult of heroes gets every chance to flourish. In the vacuum of healthy serving leadership, the cult of heroes naturally takes its place. But also, when fear plays an underlying role in church leadership, we see the hero emerge. And where does fear not play a role?

There’s always the fear that because of unpopular decisions, we will lose people. This is especially bad if your value and your success depend on the size of the congregation. There is fear of letters to the editor, of a scandal, of the opinions and recognition of others. Fear of lack of finances, un-Biblical influences, and a more successful church just around the corner. And that’s not even mentioning our own personal fears and insecurities as leaders.

The church clearly needs serving leaders, who find security in God’s love. Then the spiritual heroes fade like morning mist on a summer’s day.

The result of all these fears is a lack of real love. Man seems to know only two motives: fear and love. John writes: “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” – 1 John 4:18 (NIV)

When fear plays a role in our lives and in our churches, a vacuum of healthy serving leadership also arises, where the cult of heroes quickly plays into. The church clearly needs serving leaders, who find security in God’s love. Then the spiritual heroes fade like morning mist on a summer’s day.

As tempting as it is, as much as it strokes and tickles our feelings, according to Jesus, there is no place for a cult of heroes in His church.

And yet, in the early church, things quickly go wrong. In chapter 11 of the second letter to the church in Corinth, we read that Paul rages against the super-apostles, who perform their tricks in the church for money. He calls the spiritual heroes of that time false apostles who tyrannize, exploit, subdue, exalt themselves above, and insult the common people. To the church in Galatia, he says that they have been bewitched by others. The need for the spiritual hero is apparently so strong that people let themselves be bewitched by it. However, Paul has a clearly different message:

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross.” Philippians 2:3-8 (NIV)

Don’t touch the anointed

This means we are faced with a choice. Abruptly ending the cult of heroes in the name of Jesus is one option. The other option is to trivialize this hero worship. Some reactions:

“By using the word ‘cult of heroes,’ you make it bigger than it is. You exaggerate. You have to see it in the context of our tradition and culture. Of course, we don’t worship our pastor. That he wears a robe and that we stand up when he comes in has nothing to do with worship. It has to do with reverence. Reverence for his calling and for his ministry.”

“That we address our pastor as ‘pastor’ has to do with the spiritual blessing we receive when we recognize him in his ministry and calling.”

“You can be a much sought-after speaker without seeing yourself as a hero.”

“Do not touch the Lord’s anointed!”

The hidden danger

Speaking or writing about the hero cult in the church is still one of the few taboos within the church. The hero cult has thus become part of the church’s shadow. We suppress its recognition because it has no right to exist. Yet, we can’t break away from it. We are stuck to something we do not want to let go of but also cannot acknowledge. As a result, we suppress the hero cult into our cooperative subconscious. This gives it a destructive effect.

“That part of our being that we deny or do not allow into our consciousness does not disappear. It is a part of yourself that will always be there, even if it leads a hidden existence. It clings to you like a shadow. You can do what you want to detach yourself from your shadow as it may be formed by the rays of the sun, or a streetlamp, but we all know that will not succeed.

Just like that, it goes with the part of ourselves we deny. It will always stay with us, even if we are not aware of it. And it constantly wants to be acknowledged, to participate in life. Every person has an inner urge to be who you really are. And if you don’t allow that for yourself, it has consequences.

Everything you suppress, you can count on, will resurface in your life sooner or later. And usually in some demonic form. By ‘demonic’ I mean that it can catastrophically cross your adapted life to which you were so attached. Everything you suppress can emerge in a very nasty form. It can strike in a way that leaves you in astonishment over ourselves. That can make you afraid of yourself. As a result, you will try even more frantically to suppress your true self. Some people succeed so well in this that they become a ‘model person’, and they can gain a lot of social respect.

But with someone who is so perfect, there is often a catch.”

(Bram Moerland – Ego, Shadow, Self according to Jung)

With a spiritual hero who is so perfect, there is often a catch. No one seems to ask what the hero cult does to these men.

No Christian leader will compare themselves to a smoothly polished mirror that perfectly reflects Jesus. Why does someone allow themselves to become a spiritual hero in their life? What aspects are there behind this besides a ‘Divine’ calling and unique talents? What snake lies deep under the grass?

The leader as climbing wall full of holes

Probably the emotional and spiritual makeup of each leader can be compared more to a climbing wall than to a smoothly polished mirror. This climbing wall is full of holes, hooks, and protrusions. Every person carries their own brokenness, fears, and weaknesses with them. Over this climbing wall, all sorts of things clamber. For one ‘hero’, this may be insecurity and fear of people. For another ‘hero’, it may be dependency on the approval of the people or deriving value from the recognition of others.

How many of these ‘spiritual’ heroes will allow a supervisory process to get to know every hole, hook, and protrusion in their lives?

Thanks to all the holes, hooks, and protrusions, a wide range of emotions, fears, and thought patterns climb into the leader’s life, where they can gratefully nestle in their life. Of course, this happens unseen. Nobody notices; not the outside world, and sometimes not even the leader, where this is happening. Nobody seems to ask what fame, praise, recognition, and appreciation do to the simple and humble following of Jesus?

How many of these ‘spiritual’ heroes will allow a supervisory process to get to know every hole, hook, and protrusion in their lives? To bring the shadow into the light and let it be here? To bring the snake from under the grass and truly become who they may be in Jesus?

Breaking away from lasting dependency

By suppressing the hero cult within the church, we unconsciously maintain it. This creates a lasting dependence on each other. The hero cult makes our repressed brokenness and mutual dependence clearly visible. The congregation is dependent on the success of the leader. The leader is dependent on the recognition and appreciation of the congregation. If we listen to the words of Jesus, we see that it was never intended for us to live in dependence on each other. There is only One on whom we may depend.

Throughout the Bible, God calls His people to stand upright. To build their lives on Him. We no longer need our spiritual heroes, because we have only One Hero. We no longer lean on each other. We stand upright. But we are not alone. We are strongly connected through Christ. We may free our ‘heroes’ to be just human. No more projection, no more adoration. Together connected, standing strong with Him.

Read some background articles on why Evangelical leaders fall:

Have you read some my other articles:

Matt Vlaardingerbroek, a former seasoned church planter and pastor in Holland’s inner cities, brings Bible stories to life through ventriloquism and magic. He’s authored three books, and founded www.creativekidswork.com, providing over 1,500 innovative Sunday school activities worldwide.