In Powerful Leaders? Marcus Honeysett explores why Christian leaders come to abuse their position and power – and what we can do to prevent it.

As understanding and awareness of abuse has grown, many revelations of church leaders abusing their power have come to light. How did the church get here? Is there a way we can address both individual and institutional failings to counter the misuse of power and, more importantly, prevent it in first place? Powerful Leaders? exposes and explores how leaders are tempted away from a biblical model of leadership into illegitimate - and in the worst cases abusive - use of authority and power. Director of Living Leadership, a charity that focuses on healthy leadership and church culture, Marcus Honeysett traces how leaders move along a spectrum of healthy to unhealthy uses of power and position and offers practical wisdom for countering and preventing harmful leadership. Drawing on his years of experience in the local church and working with leaders and congregations, Honeysett unpacks how to spot danger signs of abuse in the church and provides advice on what to do if you see or are under unhealthy leadership. He also explores why people don’t blow the whistle and encourages critical self-examination in existing leaders to ensure they maintain a healthy use of power – and offers guidance to help leaders improve their skills and move back towards healthy, biblically-based leadership. For anyone concerned about improving safeguarding in the church, Powerful Leaders? will prove a valuable resource. It challenges and equips both those in leadership and those in a position to hold leaders accountable, and will empower them to take the necessary steps forward to create healthier church cultures in which everyone can thrive.

"This is an important and much-needed contribution to the challenging subject of abuse in Christian leadership. It is distinguished especially by Marcus Honeysett’s sustained commitment to viewing the issues involved through a biblical lens. Precisely because of this, it provides a holistic blend of theological substance, pastoral empathy and practical advice. The result is a genuinely fresh and very welcome addition to the burgeoning literature in this area - one that promises to become a key reference-point with and beyond the author’s own evangelical constituency." - Revd Dr David Hilborn, Hon. Senior Research Fellow, Moorlands College & Chair of the Evangelical Alliance Theological Advisory Group.