Sociopaths and psychopaths will always work their way up to the head of any organization, often because the non-sociopaths and -psychopaths can't believe it could actually happen, but also because ruthlessness is a fundamental trait of sociopaths and psychopaths.
The ruthless will almost always prevail in ideology-driven religions, because the righteous have put all their faith in the power of decency and fairness, without the kind of safeguards that more practical churches utilize (fiscal and policy transparency, the democratic process, etc.).
Sociopaths and psychpaths are like viral infections, however; eventually they consume the host.