EMQ » April–June 2021 » Volume 57 Issue 2
By Chuck DeGroat
InterVarsity Press, 2020
200 pages
US$22.00
Reviewed by Michael Hakmin Lee, PhD, assistant professor of Ministry and Leadership, School of Mission, Ministry, and Leadership, Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois.
Chuck DeGroat (LPC, PhD) is professor of pastoral care and Christian spirituality at Western Theological Seminary. In When Narcissism Comes to Church, DeGroat explains what narcissism is, how it commonly manifests itself, and how it becomes embedded in systems. He offers a hopeful path towards recovery for those on the pathological side of the narcissism spectrum and for those wounded by narcissistic leaders and systems.
The introductory chapters include some rather startling claims about the growing prevalence of narcissism both in our broader society and especially among pastors and church planters. Drawing on his extensive experience in conducting psychological assessments for pastors and church planters, DeGroat observed that “the vast majority of ministerial candidates test on the spectrum of Cluster B DSM-V personality disorders, which feature narcissistic traits most prominently. … The rates are even higher among church planters” (19). Furthermore, DeGroat suggests that church planting organizations are actively complicit in enabling toxic leadership: “I am convinced that the missional fervor and rise in church planting we’ve witnessed since the 1980s can be correlated with the growing prevalence of narcissism. … Some church planting assessments I’ve seen practically invite narcissistic leadership” (8). This confirms what many of us have thought who were already alarmed by the string of recent scandals involving large church celebrity pastors and the devastation left in its wake.
The nature of narcissism is explored in chapter two. Acknowledging that there are ongoing discussions among researchers about the nature of narcissism and how it ought to be categorized, DeGroat posits that while narcissism has essential features, like “grandiosity, entitlement, a need for admiration, and a lack of empathy” (15), narcissism “comes in many faces” (33). The different faces or forms of narcissism are explained through the lens of the nine Enneagram personality types in chapter three.
The focus narrows in chapters four through seven to how narcissism plays out in Christian ministry contexts. Chapter four describes how pastors characteristically act out malignant narcissism, including in how they lead the church and relate to staff and congregants, while chapter five explores the inner life of a narcissistic pastor, with a focus on hidden shame and rage. More than an individual failing, narcissism is a pernicious disease that spreads quickly through and becomes entrenched in organizational structures (chapter six). Chapter seven examines how narcissistic pastors and narcissistically infected systems perpetuate spiritual and emotional abuse by silencing the abused and covering up wrongdoing by gaslighting. The remainder of the book (chapters eight and nine) is devoted to addressing the harm that has been done to self and others by malignant narcissism.
By skillfully integrating his theological, ministerial, and psychological training and experience as a pastor, a licensed therapist, and spiritual director, DeGroat has commendably written a deeply insightful and helpful book; it offers a psychologically and theologically informed diagnostic of narcissism in the church and a grounded therapeutic remedy that is deeply Christian – a cruciform path that eschews false promises of quick fixes but rather points to the reality of human transformation being a “long and winding wilderness road” (159) towards Christlikeness and the recovery of what it means to be truly human. I cannot think of anyone who would not benefit from an open-minded and careful reading of this book. This book is a treasure trove of wisdom and insight.
