Living and Serving with Templates?
The illusion that we understand the past fosters overconfidence
in our ability to predict the future.
-Daniel Kahneman-
Becoming a pastor and church leader who is successful and liked by the congregation in the long term is a dream for many ministers. I also hoped for it and fought hard to achieve it. Therefore I “instill” in myself what things I must do in my ministry, what wise words I must say when members of the congregation ask for advice, what prayer formulas I must say when I am asked to pray, and what kind of sermon should I convey in my ministry. All of them are like templates that I have prepared in my ministry and I feel comfortable with them. I feel confident that I have become a successful and productive pastor.
But wait a minute! The encounter with Daniel Kahneman’s book truly struck me. I am forced to criticize myself in terms of my ministry, has all this time that I have written above come from system 1 of my thinking or does it also involve system 2? Have I just relied on the service template without involving my cognitive thinking in depth? Can it affect my dry and empty spirituality and my ministry? Seriously, I’m so scared to think about it! “Kyrie eleison!” Lord, have mercy!
Kahneman, uses terminology from psychology, system 1 and system 2 to describe the two ways in which humans think and then make decisions. System 1 functions swiftly and unconsciously, requiring minimal effort and lacking any perception of deliberate control. On the other hand, System 2 directs attention towards mentally demanding tasks that necessitate conscious effort, such as intricate computations. System 2’s activities typically correlate with the personal feeling of agency, choice, and focused attention.[1] Kahneman further described system 1 and system 2: System 1 as effortlessly originating impressions and feelings that are the main sources of the explicit beliefs and deliberate choices of System 2. The automatic operations of System 1 generate surprisingly complex patterns of ideas, but only the slower System 2 can construct thoughts in an orderly series of steps.[2]
Indeed, there is nothing wrong with the two systems. But when someone only uses one system, especially system 1 continuously, the activity of thinking more systematically and constructively will decrease. As a result, the decisions taken tend to be instant, premature, and template in nature. Most people avoid using system 2 in thinking and making decisions, especially on an issue that requires deep thought because it requires more energy than using system 1. Kahneman explains: As you become skilled in a task, its demand for energy diminishes. Studies of the brain have shown that the pattern of activity associated with an action changes as skill increases, with fewer brain regions involved.[3]
Kahneman’s writing challenges me to use two systems of thinking appropriately and proportionally and not just rely on templates that have adorned my thinking so much, especially in answering questions in my ministry so far. Kahneman helped me to avoid the anchoring effect. Kahneman explains what he calls the anchoring phenomenon, where people base their estimations on an initial value, which is then adjusted to arrive at a final answer. This starting point can be influenced by the problem formulation or a partial computation. However, these adjustments are often inadequate, resulting in estimates that are biased toward the initial value.[4] Anchoring also has another impact. Because of anchoring, people will tend to underestimate the probabilities of failure in complex systems.[5] It sounds like, through anchoring, a minister only thinks about self-satisfaction without thinking about much better and more effective things we can do for others. This book gave me enlightenment. A good minister should think about the various possibilities that arise in the advice, guidance, and decisions he/she gives and make, while also thinking about the anticipation and other alternative solutions through thinking activities such as that contained in the system 2.
This is my self-reflections according to this book. First, quick decisions are taken at the right time is a good thing. But not all decisions require speed over accuracy. Second, I learned that besides intuition, I also need rational thinking in making decisions. The use of both in the right places and situations will help many people, including myself. Finally, I was also reminded that I need other people to check and evaluate whether the thoughts and decisions that I have are correct or not.
[1] Daniel Kahneman, Thinking, Fast and Slow (London: Penguin Books, 2012), 22.
[2] Kahneman, Thinking, 22-23.
[3] Ibid, 36.
[4] Ibid, 391-392.
[5] Ibid, 393.
About the Author
Dinka Utomo
Dinka Nehemia Utomo is an ordained pastor of the Protestant Church in the Western part of Indonesia (Gereja Protestan di Indonesia bagian Barat or GPIB). He has served for more than 15 years. The first five years of his ministry were in the remote area of East Kalimantan, including people from the indigenous Dayak tribe in the small villages in the middle of the forest, frequently reached using small boats down the river. For more than 15 years, Dinka has served several GPIB congregations in several cities in Indonesia. He has always had a passion for equipping Christian families, teaching and guiding them to build equal relations between husband and wife, maintaining commitment, love, and loyalty, creating a healthy and constructive Christian family atmosphere, and rejecting all forms of violence and sexual violence. Dinka's beloved wife, Verra, is also a GPIB pastor. They have two blessed children. Dinka and his wife and children love to spend quality family time, such as lunch or dinner, and vacation to exotic places.12 responses to “Living and Serving with Templates?”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Thanks Dinka….I appreciate your summary–that both types are thinking are good at the right time. Perhaps ‘wisdom’ is, in part, knowing when employ each system in each circumstance? Your other comment related to inviting others into our decision-making is such an important one as well….and I wonder if that very act moves us from system 1 to system 2 thinking as we have to explain or ‘justify’ the decision we are thinking about making? Perhaps a trusted leadership community is one of God’s graces to help us avoid system 1 mistakes?
You are welcome, Scott!
I think when we ask other people’s views on our thoughts and decisions, it still requires both systems. As long as we place it correctly, it will help us to give the right response.
I do agree with you concerning a trusted leadership community.
Hi Dinka,
This Kahneman quote is so good, “The illusion that we understand the past fosters overconfidence in our ability to predict the future.” It reminds me stop and reflect on past experiences and to be curious so I can learn from it an not just make blind assumptions. I am questioning my thinking processes and it feels a little scary. Definitely a murky threshold space. Your question is insightful, “Have I just relied on the service template without involving my cognitive thinking in depth?” I wonder how much I do on “autopilot” out of habit. Thank you for your thoughtful and insightful post!
Thank you, Jenny!
My writing in this blog really describes me. And I’m very grateful to Kahneman’s book which has helped me show this and made me realize that I don’t go further astray.
Amen to “Kyrie eleison”! So grateful for the Lord’s tender care and mercy when system 1 responds with urgency and system 2 needed more consultation. You mentioned that you were reminded of the need for other people to check and evaluate the accuracy of your thoughts and decisions. How do you see others input into your decision making a process for supporting you in ministry? A leadership team? Spiritual director?
Hi Cathy!
In my opinion, input from other people is one of God’s ways of helping me so that I use systems 1 and 2 appropriately and proportionally. I seem to prefer to be on a leadership team, as I experienced in this peer group and cohort.
Hi, Dinka. I was so confused about the “deep-thinking,” or shall I say system 2. I guess it will take more of my attention and effort to apply that system 2. For example, like the bat and the ball problem, I have hard time figuring out why five cents would be answered and not 10 cents. That is probably because I mostly use system 1. Therefore, I have now learned that system 1 is good and do not ignore system 2. Thank you for your input as well.
Hi Noel!
Deep thinking in my view refers to system 2 which reminds us to think consciously, be aware, and considerate. I really feel blessed by reading Kahneman’s writing because I finally realized how often I think and make decisions like using a “template”.
Hello, Dinka,
So enjoyed your post.
The statement, “As you become skilled in a task, its demand for energy diminishes” caused me to pause and think how easily we can settle in to what we know. It causes ministries to stagnate over time. Our walk with Jesus can do the same. Kahneman does make it clear that both systems are needed and must work together.
Hi Esther!
When I read Kahneman’s writing, I immediately associated it with the world of ministry. And I am very grateful because by reading Kahneman’s writings I have become aware of my mistakes all along.
Heavenly Father, Go before all my decisions today. Guide my S1 intuition/feelings them today. Align my S2 thinking in ways that glorify you. Amen.
Hmmm..wondering if my decision to join this program was a S1 or S2 decision.
Jenny Dooley said something that appeals to me. S1 intuition started her NPO process. S2 thinking will help her research, analyze, and develop a concrete product that will benefit her fellow pastors in South East Asia. I like that.
Hi Russel!
Thank you for your prayer. It’s so encouraging.