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Sowing division is a strategic art, and while much bad can be done in subverting from the ground up, perhaps a greater impact can be made from the top down. As go the leaders of a church, they say, so goes the church. Thus, it is advantageous to assault the togetherness of your targets by concentrated efforts against their leadership and order. Here are some points of attack our team has found quite useful.
Among the church’s elders, exacerbate the pride that lies within every man by stoking the narcissism of those of different giftings. Every qualified elder must, as the Enemy has instructed, “be able to teach,” but there are always some who teach better than others. Make this a point of arrogance, feeding the ego of those who do it best and the resentment of those who do it less well. Recast their vision so that they see their myriad giftings not as complementary but as competitive.
Do whatever you must to exaggerate the importance among church officers of business acumen, dynamic presence, and powerful platforms. Stoke greed and lust for power. In the consideration of elders, foster suspicion among the church members toward the “quiet, spiritual types” and foster favor toward the impressive (but unqualified) types. In consideration of deacons, encourage interest among the lazy and the self-important. In so doing, you may help the church stock its offices with unqualified men best situated to distract the church from the Enemy’s so-called “good” news.
Pit elders and deacons against one another. Much bad can be done through this division, particularly when these leaders treat their callings as the functioning of committees and boards rather than as shepherds and servants. Tempt elders toward passivity on one hand and bombast on the other. Tempt deacons to resent pastoral authority and to crave power for themselves.
Do not be overly discouraged if you fail to seize the imaginations of more than a handful of church officers. Remember that causing even one to fall may disrupt much in the Enemy’s camp and cause many of His followers to lose trust and, thus, their way.
Remember that even the redeemed human heart is prone to wandering. It does not take much to sow division. Our master wants us to double our efforts concerning those who hold church offices. These leaders make the ripest targets and, when felled, cause the greatest damage.