Why Pastoring Ranks As One of the Most Challenging Leadership Roles In America
Peter Northouse argues that leadership is intuitively challenging to define, like the words peace and love. After examining the myriad of ways it has been expressed over the centuries, he finally lands on: Leadership is the process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal. [1]
It’s evident from Northouse’s examination of leadership throughout history, its many forms and context, that leadership has metamorphosized. Moreover, the fact that Northouse’s book on leadership theory and practice alone is in its ninth edition, over 30 years since its first publication, proves that our understanding of leadership is continually changing.
What’s powerful about his definition of leadership is that each word has intentionality, leaning into the significance of process, influence, groups, and common goals. Moreover, Northouse wants to move away from a trait-based definition of leadership, recognizing its limitations on individuals who do not fit into an archetypal understanding of leadership.
He takes this concept deeper by looking at the importance of understanding personality. Labeling them as five big personality factors, Northouse states that Neuroticism (tendency towards anxiety, depression, insecurity, vulnerability, and hostility), Extraversion (tendency towards sociable and assertiveness), Openness (tendency to be informed, creative, insightful, and curious), Agreeableness (tendency towards acceptance, conforming, trust, and nurturing), and Conscientiousness (tendency towards thoroughness, organization, control, dependability, and decisiveness) all play a factor in a person’s leadership approach. [2]
Each of our personalities, our levels of the big five, all play a factor in how we lead. At the same time, Northouse recognizes the importance of emotional intelligence (EQ) within individuals as a critical factor in overcoming some of their less favorable personality traits.
As EQ scholar Daniel Goleman put it, “More than anyone else, the boss creates the conditions that directly determine people’s ability to work well. Therefore, the leader’s emotional states and actions do affect how the people they lead will feel and therefore perform.”[3]
Northouse emboldens this idea by discussing the difference between having technical expertise or adaptability in leadership. He argued, “On the organizational level, adaptive leadership can be used as a model to explain and address a variety of challenges that are ever-present, during change and growth.”[4]
However, probably the most challenging and timeline discussion in Northouse’s anthology on leadership is his focus on inclusiveness. In our highly globalized society, where equity and equality are more elevated conversations than in the past, all leaders must consider all organizational members’ needs and sense of belonging. The author gives readers a chart to recognize leadership traits with low belonging and high belonging, low uniqueness and high uniqueness.
In a sense, there is a difference between having a diverse and inclusive organization. Diversity for the sake of diversity is tokenism. However, seeking the inclusive beliefs, attitudes, values, and backgrounds of all people is remarkably challenging and holistic. And yet, “inclusive leadership is a shared responsibility with everyone in the group, where all members of an organization play an important role in doing so.”[5]
Northouse’s book is an extraordinary self-assessment for leaders, which according to Eve Poole of Leadersmithing, is all of us. Leadership is not a one-size-fits-all role. The numerous contexts, situations, and diverse people you encounter along the way require a leader to develop solid skills and have strong adaptability and emotional intelligence.
As a person who has served as a pastor to pastors and a local church pastor, my heart goes out to ministers. Commonly ranked by Forbes as one of the most challenging leadership roles in America, pastors today are faced with a myriad of challenges, requiring an equal myriad of tools, assets, experience, and adaptability.
Often underpaid, under-resourced, and underappreciated, ministers have every reason to fail in leadership. However, we are challenged to remember our calling and the great cloud of witnesses that have come before us as we face the host challenges before and ahead of us. Moreover, Northouse’s definition of leadership reminds us that we are in a holy process, influencing God’s people in pursuing God’s good work of redeeming the world. And that is an inspiring thought.
[1] Northouse, Peter, Leadership: Theory and Practice. Ninth Edition. (Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publishing, 2021), 6.
[2] Ibid, 37.
[3] Daniel Goleman, Leadership: The Power of Emotional Intelligence, 94.
[4] Northouse, Leadership, 306.
[5] Ibid, 334.
About the Author
Andy Hale
Associate Executive Coordinator of CBF North Carolina, CBF Podcast Creator and Host, & Professional Coach14 responses to “Why Pastoring Ranks As One of the Most Challenging Leadership Roles In America”
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Andy: Great post and a very thorough analysis of the book. I also like how Northouse progressed from older theories about leadership to newer theories about leadership. There is a progress in his examination of leadership theories. A growth in sophistication in theories and practices and he traces them out really well. i think this summer I will re-read this book slowly to get a better handle on his text. Is there one practical piece of advice that he gives that you can use in your ministry immediately?
I think his work around adaptive leadership is timely, especially coming out of this pandemic. But leadership is not just about being adaptable yourself but how you equip the people entrusted to your care to be flexible. Easier said than done within a congregation.
Andy, very insightful post – thank you. In your work with churches and the turn-arounds you’ve seen and successful churches in general – do you see a common personality trait of the “big five” you listed above? Along the same lines, have you seen a common model of leadership prove to be more successful than others?
Roy, that’s a brilliant question.
When I was tasked with selecting church starters for our denomination, I often had to quell the tendency to believe that a specific archetypal person was fit for church starting, your charismatic leader. However, self-awareness goes further in leadership than just one particular personality trait or strength. Good leaders recognize their limitations and seek to surround themselves with others who make them whole.
Andy: I appreciate the insights you shared this week in your reflection of Northouse. You state, “In our highly globalized society, where equity and equality are more elevated conversations than in the past, all leaders must consider all organizational members’ needs and sense of belonging. The author gives readers a chart to recognize leadership traits with low belonging and high belonging, low uniqueness and high uniqueness.” Just from your own experience as a pastor and pastoring other pastors, what would you consider the best approach for pastors to consider their staffs needs & belonging without being overwhelmed or consumed by it in the midst of all they have to carry? And then is there a way to replicate that out to an entire congregation?
Kayli, will you let me finish next semester’s project to answer that question? My NPO is writing a book on navigating the relational dynamics of an organization that leads to thriving.
In short, I think it begins first with modeling the way yourself as a leader. Then, how you respond verbally, physically, emotionally, and mentally to people who are and hold different views than you says a lot about your capacity for belonging.
It’s easy to fully inclusive of people typically marginalized, only to find yourself pushing out those who are exclusive of others. For example, I pastored a progressive church start for 8 years, defined by inclusiveness but struggled with the traditional religious church people.
I look forward to the book!
Andy, love your assessment of Northouse and the connection you made to pastoral ministry. I’d love to read more about your sense of calling to pastoral ministry. What is it about this specific calling that continues to draw you back? Have you been intrigued to embrace a different vocational path?
Ty Andy for your insights into connections between leadership and inclusiveness. You mentioned, “In our highly globalized society, where equity and equality are more elevated conversations than in the past, all leaders must consider all organizational members’ needs and sense of belonging.” Can you share more on how the leader’s inclusiveness will effect its organization and also on any practical methods on how to keep that going as the organization begins to grow in numbers?
Excellent post and summary Andy. Your perspective is always so refreshing to me personally.
Boy, I cound’t agree with your title more… pastoring is HARD work! I have served as a church planter (5.5 years) and pastored a couple other house church plants before that in Memphis. One thing became clear to me through the process: pastoring is not my calling.
I think that you hit the nail on the head. It is essential to know our calling, especially as leadership in any capacity is difficult and challenging. I pray for you (and all of our pastoring colleagues) for the difficult (but good and so very needed) good work He has given you to do. Press on brother. Press on.
I think if each of us were to follow one another on a given week at work, we would be humbled by what it takes to be a contextual leader.
Andy, an excellent analysis as usual. You mention ” seeking the inclusive beliefs, attitudes, values, and backgrounds of all people…” What might this look like in your context?
Elmarie! I will send that chapter to you via email now!
Andy, thank you for yet another insightful analysis of our reading. I would be very interested to hear more about what specific leadership styles or attributes might be helpful to reduce the strain of spiritual leadership.