I found this the other day and thought it very interesting:

I have a couple of friends who have made me aware of the problem of spiritual abuse within churches. The idea of spiritual abuse was not something I really thought about before, but the more I read, the more I realise it is a very serious matter. While the checklist above made me chuckle a bit, it also raises some major concerns (and note that it is not just limited to youth speakers). There is a fine line between using your position as a leader to disciple people, or using it to manipulate them. That fine line corresponds, I think, to whether or not you are using your position as a leader to serve, or to be served.

These kinds of antics were often used by preachers during the revivalist era to try and win converts, and so in that sense may have been borne out of a legitimate desire to see people come to Christ. And while that may be true of some today as well, I know from several who have been victims of spiritual abuse that tactics like this can also serve an impulse to maintain an unhealthy and oppressive control over people.

It should be recognised, of course, that spiritual abuse is not always so evident and can be much more subtle, and certainly comes in more forms than just a melodramatic speaker. I think it is important that we as the church talk about it, and that we are honest about the problem and acknowledge the deep hurt and pain of those who have been victims. This will be the first step in dealing with a problem that is a lot more widespread than we think.