Between Soul and System
By Dr Asangba Tzudir
As a matter of fact, institutions are being increasingly scrutinized or under the public scanner today, and the Church is not an exception and it too finds under a searching lens. At the heart of this scrutiny lies a very pertinent question. It asks whether the Church is fundamentally a space for ‘soul winning,’ or it has in some cases, become preoccupied with money. Though this tension is not new, it attains sharp clarity when viewed through the framework of the French philosopher Michel Foucault in relation to his idea of “pastoral power.”
Foucault described “pastoral power” as a form of authority which is rooted in the Christian tradition of the shepherd guiding the flock. This is unlike political power which governs territories, and where pastoral power is concerned with individuals including their conduct, conscience, and ultimately, their salvation. In its purest form, this vision places the Church as a moral and spiritual guide that is committed to the care and transformation of the Church members. The emphasis therefore is on “soul winning” though not in a narrow evangelical sense, but as a broader commitment to ethical, moral and spiritual well-being.
However, this ideal does not exist in a vacuum. Churches, like all institutions, also operate within monetary realities. Proper infrastructure is required, besides the maintenance of buildings, full time workers supported, and missions and community services funded. Money, therefore, is not an inbuilt rival of the church’s mission but serves as a means to achieve specific spiritual, charitable, and operational goals. It is thus, in principle, a means to sustain and extend pastoral care. The problem arises when the means begin to overshadow the end.
Foucault’s insight when deeply engaged helps us see how ‘systems of care’ can also become ‘systems of control.’ Institutions that often start with the noble aim of guiding souls can gradually develop structures that prioritize their own survival and expansion. Financial accumulation and hierarchical authority can over time eclipse the original and noble intent to provide pastoral care. And so, what was once about care service finds located at the risks of shifting and prioritizing management. Within this shifting and prioritizing, the Church’s core ethical and moral character which is humility finds sacrificed at the altar of institutional assertion.
This precisely is the tension between what the Church ‘ought’ to be and how it behaves. Normatively, the Church stands for compassion, service, and the moral shaping of individuals. Practically, however, it can drift into financial considerations, economic growth, and institutional visibility. The danger lies in how money is transformed and becomes located at the centre of its activities rather than being used as a supporting tool. This distinction is crucial because any Church that uses its resources to deepen its engagement with communities, support the vulnerable, and nurture spiritual life remains faithful to its pastoral calling. But when financial priorities begin to dictate its sermon, counseling, practices, or values, then it risks losing its moral centre.
The question therefore is not a simple binary of ‘soul or money’, but presents a more nuanced and uncomfortable inquiry about the threshold where the church shifts from being pastoral to being management centered. How does the primary objective of ‘care for souls’ give way to building a financially sound Church? This question vibrates beyond theology and which opens up a broader crisis of trust in institutions, where purpose often finds overshadowed by various interest other than the Soul saving mission. Even critics like Nietzsche, who famously challenged the foundations of Christianity, were “ultimately concerned” with “authenticity” and the integrity of values.
The challenge for the Church is very clear where it must continually return to its foundational calling, not merely as a religious organization, but as a community of care. In doing so, it must ensure that money remains a means, never the objective mission.
(Dr. Asangba Tzudir contributes a weekly guest editorial for The Morung Express. Comments can be emailed to asangtz@gmail.com).
