Leadership in the Haitian Church: An Interview with Jean-Claude Cerin

Jean-Claude Cerin is chair of the board of Beyond Borders' primary partner organization in Haiti, Fondasyon Limye Lavi. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Eastern Seminary and an MBA from Eastern University. He has held leadership positions and directed several organizations in Haiti and is a respected leader in the Haitian church.

How important is the church to Haitian society?

Jean-Claude Cerin (left) with Tony Campolo

Religion is essential to our society. Whether Christianity or Vodou, religion is the prism through which Haitians interpret life. Within this context, both the Catholic and Protestant churches play a central role. They orient people’s political, familial, social, and educational lives. For example, baptism certificates are used for official purposes often more reliably archived than official government papers.

The church is also intimately involved in providing for social needs through health, relief, literacy, and education programs. About 80 percent of Haitian education is provided by the private sector, and of that, about 70 percent is provided by the church (either Catholic or Protestant). The church plays a central role in our nation.

What is the pastor’s role in a typical Haitian Protestant church?

The pastor is the spiritual leader of the community. Usually, the pastor is a man who is well respected by the church members and the community in general. He is looked to for leadership in the community. He also tends to have quite a lot of power over the members of his congregation, as do Catholic and Vodou priests over their communities. During the last half-century, we’ve also seen more and more that pastors tend to be involved in developing schools and clinics as part of the churches’ work.

In terms of leadership style, usually pastors are very authoritarian. The pastor speaks on behalf of God—as the representative of God to the congregation. He very much dictates to the faithful. Often the church has some kind of board of elders, but their power varies and the pastor is certainly the undisputed leader.

What are the strengths and weaknesses of this approach to leadership?

A strength, I guess, is that this style can keep people on the right path—since there is some fear that they will be held accountable—at least when the pastor is around. Also, the pastor is the community visionary, so maybe this style sometimes gets projects done.

But I think there are more weaknesses than strengths to authoritarian leadership, because the strong-handed approach works mostly through fear rather than through participation. It’s about fear rather than the kind of love that the gospel is about. An authoritarian style loses out on a lot of the church community’s potential for creativity and initiative. It doesn’t raise up new leaders or give people a voice. Everyone must refer to the pastor and ask, “What would the pastor think?” This keeps people from developing their ability to serve God and the community.

Also, an authoritarian approach encourages corruption, because even if, say, congregation members see something negative done by the leadership, they might say something among themselves, but it would be hard for them to intervene. This is a big loss because it shuts down the prophetic voice within the church and community.

How can programs like Living Words encourage a more empowering approach to leadership?

I think Living Words could help over the long-term if this approach is accepted as one of the Bible study methods in the church. Change will first happen among participating laypeople. Over time, through the program people could get the opportunity to think for themselves, interpret for themselves, start questioning, and understand their own potential in new ways. It will take time, but then people eventually will be able to question the predominant leadership style—and cause something new to emerge.

Do you think part of Haiti's hope for the future lies in the church?

Definitely. Nothing can be done with Haiti, in terms of development, without the church. A lot of what will be done to help the Haitian people will have to go through the church, because the Haitian people believe so strongly in the church and in religion in general. The majority of Haitian people are connected to the church. So part of a better future for Haiti requires a renovation of the church.