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One year my husband gave me an Instant Pot for my birthday. If you don’t know, it’s an electric multicooker. It’s a pressure cooker, a slow cooker, a steamer, and even a yogurt maker.
As a pressure cooker, it’s fast and effective. When I first got it, I tried out recipes. Chocolate lava cake in 9 minutes, split pea soup in 35 minutes. But for ongoing use, I’ve found it’s the best way to cook beans from scratch. And hard-boiled eggs peel perfectly every time. It may be less trendy than it was five years ago, but I use it regularly.
The Instant Pot can reach extremely high temperatures. It comes with lots of warning stickers. This reminds me of the pressures of leadership. It’s tough and dangerous; maybe leadership job descriptions should come with warning stickers, too. Years ago, I heard Nancy Hastings Sehested, a Southern Baptist pastor at the time, talking about her struggle to find a place to serve as a woman pastor in the SBC. When she finally did, the inevitable difficulties emerged. She would say to herself, “For this I struggled?! For this I fought!?”
Higher pressure today
Pastoral leadership in these times comes with added pressure. We all know the overall decline in commitment to institutions, and to the church in particular. Add in changing giving patterns and the short- and long-term impact of a global pandemic, and political intensity to accelerate these trends. It’s a tough time to lead a congregation. You can’t lead in these times without making hard decisions. You let a long-time staff person go. You take a stand on new directions for ministry. Or define yourself on a hot issue of the day. Or say no and disappoint people. Risks go along with these decisions. You risk upsetting key leaders — and givers.
At the end of the day, you can jeopardize their future — or yours.
Most leaders at some point think, “Why did I say yes to this?” The challenges and setbacks — and blowbacks — can seem overwhelming. However, this crucible of leadership can refine and challenge you to grow, though you may not see your growth until much later.
Design teacher Sarah Stein Greenberg talks about the creative teaching design at Stanford’s d.school. They teach students to apply creative design to problems and processes in the wider world. Students who track their learning journey see that they learned most when their emotional experience was low.
She says, “They were learning a lot, but it felt bad, challenging or stressful. I think those are moments of productive struggle…You learn the most when it’s hard, not easy.” (Creative Acts for Curious People: How to Think, Create, and Lead in Unconventional Ways, p. 249.)
Dang. But that’s been my experience, too, when I reflect on my life.
And it’s not just about you, but about those you are leading. In recent years, I’ve remembered the words of Mordecai to Queen Esther, “Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this.” (Esther 4:14). You may not have asked to lead in times as tough as these. However, people need leadership now more than ever. They need someone to frame the challenges. They need someone to give a word of hope. And hold their feet to the fire. Even when the pressure seems overwhelming, it’s a chance for you to contribute to others. It’s also an opportunity to learn, grow, and be shaped.
Reflection question: What’s one small thing you learned from a past challenge in your life or leadership?
Rev.Margaret Marcuson helps ministers get lighter and less burdened by their ministry so they can have more influence with less stress. She is the author of Sustainable Ministry: How to Lead (and When to Nap) [forthcoming].
