Pastors serving in congregations have much more freedom in their daily work routines than teachers in classrooms or therapists in counseling centers. Pastors command more sustained attention, through their preaching and teaching, than most CEOs. Yet pastors frequently report in private conversations that they feel powerless to effect change in their congregations. Why? A congregation looks like an organization, with a board, a budget and property, but it acts like a family, with intimate interactions, shared meals and intergenerational relationships. Many congregations are autonomous, with decision-making processes that resemble town hall meetings. And nearly all congregations have informal processes that have developed over years and are rarely explained to outsiders. It is not surprising that pastors would have trouble discerning how to make a difference in this complex social system. Those who observe pastors' work often use the term "pastoral agency" to describe the level of autonomy that pastors perceive they have in exercising power, setting direction and making key decisions. Formal power to hire and fire staff, recruit volunteers and manage the budget often contrasts with informal power to influence who is doing what, when and how. |
By studying college basketball teams, a Washington University business researcher examines the importance of one aspect of leadership: trust.
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Given the nature of human beings and institutions, at some point relationships become unsteady. And repairing trust can be a challenge for leaders, writes the managing director of Alban at Duke Divinity.
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In Pursuing Pastoral Excellence, pastoral counselor and educator Paul Hopkins aims to help pastoral leaders make a lasting and positive difference in the lives of the people and communities they serve.
The heart of this book is the stories of seven ordinary pastors whose leadership has become extraordinary. Their stories not only highlight important characteristics and practices that nurture fruitful pastoral leadership, but they invite readers to examine their own stories, to think about the value of longevity in ministry, and to enhance the enduring impact of their own pastoral leadership.
Hopkins frames these stories with a discussion of the difficult vocational challenges pastors are facing in a rapidly changing church milieu and a survey of recent leadership studies. He concludes by exploring seven patterns of pastoral leadership that characterize leaders who have an enduring impact, as well as four key elements coming to be recognized as imperative for the cultivation of enduring pastoral fruitfulness.
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