Responding with Resilient Leadership

to Ministry Challenges

John Fehlen
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Max DePree once said: “Leaders don’t inflict pain. They bear pain.”1 This of course is
not a completely ironclad statement, but it is representative of an understanding that leaders by in
large have their followers best interests in mind while personally carrying significant and often
painful burdens due to their role. This becomes a point of personal crisis often accompanied by
disappointment, conflict, and burnout. I have personally found this to be true, and it has led me
to consider the subject of Responding with Resilient Leadership To Ministry Challenges.
While it is true that I tend to grow both spiritually and professional through crisis, it is not
a route that I would opt for willingly or cheerfully. It hurts. There is a level of pain that is
accompanied with definitive leadership decisions and determinacy. Therefore, I am on a personal
pursuit of discovering how to engage my leadership focus and to develop resilience in the midst
of difficult times, perceived or real. It is my belief that in Christian ministry I, as a leader, must
be comfortable with crisis and conflict. It is inevitable. There is a great deal of pain and
disappointment while working closely with people, and ministry to people is difficult.
However, there also is a great deal of joy, blessing, and reward in the “people business”.
Leaders are privy to many wonderful stories of healing, grace, triumph, and success. Leaders
have a bird’s eye view of the work of the Lord within the congregation. Leaders will often be the
first one to hear of a particular victory and be the mouthpiece that relays that victorious
testimony to the masses. Being a ministry leader is incredibly rewarding and personally
fulfilling. For every day a setback or crisis is experienced, I have discovered there to be many
more days of joy and peace in the land. I trust that this is true of many of my colleagues.
One cannot deny the reality of challenges in ministry though. Tough things happen when
we least expect it. Our once solid feet are cut out from underneath us, and we are left gasping for
breath and hoping we can get up again to face tomorrow. Melodramatic? I do not believe so. It
was Jesus who told his disciples “in this world you will have trouble.” This statement comes
upon the heels of Jesus’ own point of crisis. He told his disciples in John 16:32-33 that “a time
is coming, and has come, when you will be scattered…you will leave me all alone.” Jesus
knows pain. Jesus knows conflict. Jesus knows crisis, and so will we as Jesus’ ambassadors to a
pain-filled world.
The word “lead” has an Indo-European root that means, “to go forth, die”.2 That is
exactly the kind of crisis Jesus experienced. As leaders, our challenges may never end in death,
yet, we do have a strong scripture to contend with in which Jesus said: “If anyone would come
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after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). This is a
brutal reminder that ministry leadership (which is actually about follower-ship) will always
include an element of denial, pain, and sacrifice. How we respond to that is key. How we
respond to ministry challenges is so vital to our growth and effectiveness.
Following the definition of key terms, this research will then explore challenges in
ministry. Observation will be given to Six Common Challenges as discovered specifically from
the life of Elijah the Prophet in the Bible. The Old Testament sketch of Elijah’s life reads like a
modern day novel, complete with victory and defeat, joy and sorrow, intrigue and suspense.
Elijah’s story parallels that of the 21st Century leader in so many ways. This research will
spotlight six of those connective equivalents. Beyond the biblical character of Elijah, there are
many individuals throughout history that illustrate to us the manner in which resilient leadership
through immense challenges produces amazing outcomes.
Next the research will observe where God is at work. One must trust that God is at work
even in the midst of pain, crisis, and conflict. He is behind the scenes bringing about formative
changes to the heart of the leader. Reggie McNeal expresses it so poignantly: “The heart-
shaping work of God in the arena of conflict is, in the heat of it, the hardest and most painful of
all the operations of God on the soul of the leader. The work is done without benefit of
anesthesia. The leader has to be wide awake through these proceedings.” 3 It is this “work of
God” that I will give special attention to as this research progresses, because I believe that
ultimately all things, good and bad, can be used for God’s glory and for the leader’s growth.
The concluding portion of the research will give light to how resilience works by asking
the question, “Why do some people bounce back from life’s hardships while others despair?”
Definition of Key Terms
The phraseology “Responding with Resilient Leadership to Ministry Challenges” is intentional
in that each key word brings with it a specific sense of understanding.
Responding
This word denotes the role and the capacity of leaders to “see the challenge and raise it
with a response.” The way in which one responds to difficulty will determine the level of
effectiveness experienced in the future when facing other, perhaps more complex challenges.
Jeffrey Sonnefeld and Andrew Ward write in Firing Back: How Great Leaders Rebound After
Career Disasters: “Leaders should not be measured by how they bask in the gratification of their
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accomplishments. Rather, they should be measured by how they respond when fate deflates the
joys of hard-earned triumphs. How well do they pick themselves up and get back in the race? 4
Resilient
This word is defined as the “ability to recover quickly from setbacks; to spring back
quickly into shape after being bent, stretched or deformed.” Undoubtedly, this is a glimpse of the
leadership role. Leaders are often bent out of shape and stretched beyond limits. The ability to
recover is a leaders best trait. That is resilience. John Barnes, in his book about President John F.
Kennedy has remarked:
Many people become overwhelmed by adversity. They are thrown off their game by
small obstacles; bigger problems stop them dead in their tracks. Leaders cannot afford
this kind of reaction to difficult situations. On their way up, they must be able to deal
with whatever is thrown in their path. Once they are in a position of leadership, they will
have to deal with rapidly changing circumstances. They must learn to recognize
challenges as opportunities, to turn liabilities to their advantage. In other words, leaders
must learn to be resilient in the face of adversity. 5

The author goes on to describe Kennedy’s leadership resolve: “Be resilient in the face of
adversity. Strong leaders don’t crumble when faced with stressful circumstances. Their ability to
stand up to adversity often arouses their people to do the same. 6
Leadership
Bob Biehl defines leadership as “knowing what to do next, knowing why that’s important
and knowing how to bring appropriate resources to bear on the need at hand.” 7 These are facets
that will separate leaders from followers, which is not to say that leaders are better than others.
They are just different in that they will carry the accompanying responsibility with the leadership
role. It has been said, “Somebody has got to lead.” This reality is embellished by the greater
reality of the need for change, which is affirmed by Jay Conger when he said, “leaders are by
vocation change agents. They see the shortcomings of any situation. 8
Ministry
In no context is there a greater desire for change than in the ministry. Those serving in the
ministry have an underlying passion to see lives changed and brought into right relationship with
God the Father through His Son Jesus Christ. The mega-church senior pastor, Bill Hybels,
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shared these words in his address to Harvard Business School: “You also need to realize that
some of us church leaders live daily with the realization that the eternal destinies of people in our
communities hang in the balance. That’s why we are so determined to get our visions right and
live out our values and come up with effective strategies. We truly believe that it matters that we
attain our goals. We believe this to our depths. We’d take bullets for it.” 9 This sense of urgency
and effectiveness becomes a driving force in ministry – the compulsion to see lives rescued,
redeemed, and restored to right relationship with Father God. The context of ministry and the
leaders that serve that end are motivated to bring about change in the culture.
Challenges
Without question, as Bill Hybels suggested, bullets are often taken in ministry. Leaders
in a ministry context will face great challenges. Challenges may materialize in the form of crisis,
pain, difficulty, and/or conflict emotionally or relationally. Regardless of its composition, the
essence of a ministry challenge is turbulence. Navigating turbulence requires resilience.
In Scripture we read of many characters that experienced incredible challenges in
leadership. McNeal highlights four such heroes of the faith: Moses, David, Paul and Jesus.
This research will not draw from these exemplary figures because so much quality material is
already in circulation. Lesser-documented leaders that responded resiliently through challenges
are the likes of Gideon, Peter, Timothy, Deborah, and Esther. Each is a remarkable example in
there own right, however, the focus of this research will find its focal point in the person of
Elijah.
Elijah – Six Common Challenges
The scriptural text in securing the Six Common Challenges faced in ministry leadership
will be 1 Kings 18 and 19. Elijah is a prototype of resilient leadership that is neither perfect nor
polished. He looks much like the 21st century ministry leader that endeavors to love and live to
the fullest in God, and yet is challenged in many regards. The following six challenges and the
corresponding examples drawn from Elijah are not intended to be an exhaustive treatment of the
subject. They will, however, draw the reader into the culture of this Old Testament figure and
show how resilient leadership was maintained.
Painful People
The first common challenge that leaders face is that of painful people. Often times they
have specific names and faces, whereas other times they are a nameless mob. Regardless, they
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are hurt people that in turn hurt people. Heifetz and Kinsky contend that, “people criticize you
when they don’t like the message. But rather than focus on the content of your message, taking
issue with its merits, they frequently find it more effective to discredit you.” 10 They can be
discontent and critical in both word and deed. William Willimon and Stanley Hauerwas believe
that “being a minister in today’s climate is a little like being nibbled to death by ducks.” 11 The
authors continue describing the ‘nibbling ducks’ and give explicit detail as to the challenges
ministers face from painful people: “People assume that we are paid basically to do nothing
other than to be kind. The ministry is tempted to self-hate because none of us can be misused
forever without hating those who so use us, and as a result, we end up hating ourselves for being
so abused. No wonder pastors often seem so lonely, self-hate creates a person who cannot make
friends worth having.” 12
Elijah faced such people. One such person will forever have the stereotypical disgrace of
being known as Jezebel. She is the matron saint of painful people. Jezebel sent a messenger to
Elijah with these words: “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time
tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them” (1 Kings 19:2). Despite this being a
clear threat of death that could not be ignored, Elijah internalized these vicious comments and
became fearful and despondent. Painful people can elicit these kinds of responses.
Difficult Decisions
Elijah’s narrative is consistent with that of many of the Old Testament prophets in that he
confronted difficult decisions throughout his life. Each decision required responsiveness to the
Lord, courage in the delivery, and resilience in terms of the outcome. The account in 1 Kings
captures many difficult decisions made by Elijah in response to the directive of the Lord. Most
notable is Elijah’s prophetic unction that “there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years
except at my word” (1 Kings 17:1). This was not met with glad hearts, such as in the case of
Obadiah calling Elijah the “Troubler of Israel” in chapter 18.
The biblical text continues to draw the reader into accounts such as Elijah’s challenge to
the prophets of Baal and Asherah and the subsequent decision to have them all killed. In a
number of passages Elijah is found to be calling down fire both upon sacrifices and upon those in
opposition to Jehovah.
The calling of Elisha as his to-be-successor was another of a long-line of difficult
decisions made by Elijah. A recent spiritual blogger commented: “great leaders, in order to
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achieve great outcomes, must make difficult decisions where relationships (sometimes
significant relationships) are the casualties. This is obvious in the corporate world. CEO’s are
hired for their ability to make strong and swift assessments and are rewarded for their resolve
and determination to be decisive.” 13 Such was the premise of a study by Suzanne C. Kobasa
entitled, Stressful Life Events, Personality, and Health: An Inquiry into Hardiness. Two groups
of middle and upper level executives, both with high degrees of stress, were compared and their
illnesses were measured. In essence what was discovered was that high stress/low illness
executives show, by comparison with high stress/high illness executives, more hardiness and a
stronger commitment to self and meaningful living. 14
The challenges found in difficult decisions lead directly into the next point of potential
pain, crisis, and conflict: high risk.
High Risk
John Barnes in his writings on John F. Kennedy remarks: “Treat each challenge as an
opportunity. To be a leader is to take on difficult problems, to learn from them, and to turn them
to your advantage. That’s leadership 101. If a business hits hard times, employees look to their
boss to come up with a plan for turning things around, not to close up shop at the first sign of
difficulty. Often, out of such adversity, creative business leaders take their companies in new
directions, explore new markets, and expand their business horizons in ways not thought of
before.” 15 In the business sector and within the ecclesial framework, leaders must take risks to
turn organizations around, moving them in new directions and into new markets. The process of
expansion, both in the marketplace and in Kingdom ventures is risky. Sometimes the fallout is
significant, and the casualties are unfortunate, and yet for every challenge there are potential
opportunities.
Elijah understood this in the organization of a showdown with the prophets of Baal and
Asherah on Mount Carmel. He was outnumbered, and the momentum seemed to lean towards
the other side, yet Elijah was willing to risk it all and was full of resolve. These characteristics
are highlighted at the sacrificial altar in which Elijah demands that the attendants “fill four jars
with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood.” They are told to do it again, and
surprisingly a third time until the point that the water drenched the offering and filled the
surrounding trench. Then through a simple, and yet incredibly risk-filled prayer, the fire of the
Lord consumed the offering. Elijah embodies the kind of risk that Sonnenfeld and Ward espouse:
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“It is the single-minded, passionate pursuit of a heroic mission to the exclusion of everything else
that sets great leaders apart from the general population and is what attracts and motivates
followers to join them in their heroic quest.” 16
Leadership Loneliness
Often times, however, the leader has no one join them in their heroic quest or at the least
they have the perception of being alone. Real or perceived, loneliness is a significant challenge
in ministry. Elijah expresses in 1 Kings 19 what many “mouthpieces for the Lord” sense at
various times: “I am the only one left and now they are trying to kill me too.” Gary Yukl, in
Leadership in Organizations concludes, “the leader’s strong conviction to untraditional
ideologies alienates people who remain committed to the traditional ways of doing things. Even
some of the initial supporters may become disillusioned if the leader fails to acknowledge their
significant contributions to major achievements by the group or organization. Bass (1985) noted
that the response of people to a charismatic leader is likely to be polarized; the same leader
arouses extreme admiration by some people and extreme hatred by others.” 17
That extreme hatred is one of the antecedent factors in leadership loneliness. The average
ministry leader desires to be liked, followed, and respected. When that does not happen, it breeds
an awareness of loneliness, hurt, distrust, and often cynicism. A corresponding probability is that
the leader will seek out less than ideal friendships to fill that emotional void as in the case with
Sara, an individual in a case study in Heifetz’s and Linsky’s work regarding leadership dangers.
“Sara made a common mistake. When battling loneliness, insecurity, stress, or other pressures,
the need to open up to someone can be almost overwhelming. In this frame of mind, it’s very
easy to mistake allies for confidants. When you try to turn allies into confidants, you never know
when circumstances may force them to choose between their commitment to their own priorities
and people, and their commitment to you.” 18
This growing competition reveals a significant challenge in ministry in which leaders
experience what Henri Nouwen defines as “alienation, separation, isolation and
loneliness…names of our wounded condition.” 19 The following comments by Nouwen is
perhaps one of the clearest treatments of ministerial loneliness:
We live in a society in which loneliness has become one of the most painful human
wounds. The growing competition and rivalry, which pervade our lives from birth, have
created in us an acute awareness of our isolation. This awareness has in turn left many
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with a heightened anxiety and an intense search for the experience of unity and
community. It has also led people to ask anew how love, friendship, brotherhood, and
sisterhood can free them from isolation and offer them a sense of intimacy and belonging.
The wounds of loneliness in the life of a minister hurt all the more, since he not only
shares in the human condition of isolation, but also finds that his professional impact on
others is diminishing. 20

Acute Depression
Akin to leadership loneliness is the issue of acute depression in the lives of ministry
leaders. These two matters are closely associated in the Old Testament prophet named Elijah.
After Elijah defeated the prophets of Baal and welcomed the fury of Jezebel, he fled to the desert
and to the shade of a broom tree, where he sat down and prayed that he might die. He said, “I
have had enough, Lord. Take my life” (1 Kings 19:4). Elijah experienced a full range of negative
emotions following the spiritually ecstatic time on Mount Carmel including despondency, anger,
fear, fatigue and depression.
On the topic of disappointment in ministry, Scott Carmer’s research found that 40% of
the interviewed group of pastors “indicated that they experienced harmful emotional impacts or
consequences as a result of stress, which was described as depression, the need to seek
professional counseling, anger, and cynicism.” 21 Similarly, Viktor Frankl, Austrian neurologist
and psychiatrist, as well as a Holocaust survivor “speaks of existential distress as a major cause
of depression, illness, neurosis, and a whole host of other physical/psychological/religious
maladies.” 22
Elijah’s sense of being alone led to overwhelming emotional depression. Elijah would
have concurred with Nouwen’s estimation: “A man can keep his sanity and stay alive as long as
there is at least one person who is waiting for him. Thousands of people commit suicide because
there is nobody waiting for them tomorrow. There is no reason to live if there is nobody to live
for.” 23 This could be thought of as a radical extrapolation of the topic of depression, and yet
“according to a 1996 joint study by the Alban Institute and the Church Insurance Corporation of
the Episcopal Church, parish ministry is the number one burnout profession in the United States.
Some estimates are that as many as 100,000 clergy-persons in the United States are in the midst
of severe burnout.” 24
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Spiritual Fatigue
Carmer claims, “the problem of disappointment and burnout among parish clergy consists
of more than just a few isolated incidents. Stories of burnout cross all denominational and
theological boundaries. It involves mainline as well as more evangelical denominations. Liberal,
conservative, and moderate pastors alike are all potential victims. If the Church is to remain
strong and healthy as an institution and as a way of life, its leaders must become skilled in
recognizing and overcoming the experience of frustration, burnout, and spiritual
disappointment.” 25 For the purpose of the reader, the terms fatigue and burnout will function
interchangeably. Each is indicative of a high level of disappointment, frustration, and cynicism
experienced regardless of success or elevated stature. Dr. Steven Berglas reasons, “A paradox of
success lost on successful people in crisis is how constraining, tedious, and demanding their
ostensibly favorable status is.” 26 In other words, success will not inoculate the leader from
fatigue and burnout.
Elijah experienced fatigue both spiritually and physically. In 1 Kings 19, Elijah ran from
Jezebel a day’s journey into the desert. The practical implications of such a travel itinerary would
be hunger and sleep deprivation. After reaching the broom tree, he lay down and slept. The angel
of the Lord then provided him food and drink. Elijah ate, drank, and then slept again. The angel
came back a second time, touched him and told him to “get up and eat for the journey is too
much for you.” Elijah ate and drank again. He then began an extended journey to Horeb, the
mountain of God, which lasted 40 days and nights. The Lord met a number of practical needs for
Elijah at a season in his life when it was extremely necessary.
At the arrival to the mountain of God (Horeb), we find the biblical character once again
fatigued but this time of a dissimilar sort – spiritually. Undoubtedly, his fatigue may have also
been of the physical nature, and yet the text indicates that God’s ministry to Elijah this time did
not come in the form of bread and water but in the fashion of His Presence.
Elijah, like many ministry leaders, had been “very zealous for the Lord God Almighty” (1
Kings 19:10, 14), and it had left him both physically, and more specifically, spiritually fatigued.
When expectations have been dashed and energies are depleted, the average ministry leader
continues on until the journey becomes too much to handle, and then the resulting devastation is
that of fatigue and burnout. Michael Yaconelli emphatically asserts: “It’s not sinning too much
that is killing our souls, it’s our schedule that’s annihilating us. Most of us don’t come home at
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night staggering drunk. Instead, we come home staggering tired, worn out, exhausted, and
drained because we live too fast.” 27 Yaconneli proceeds with these stinging words: “Burnout is
slang for an inner tiredness, a fatigue of our souls. Jesus came to forgive us all of our sins,
including the sin of busyness.” 28 These are strong words for an equally strong challenge that 21st
century ministry leaders face - the same challenge Elijah faced during his time.
Looking for God at Work
In the previous sections Elijah has provided a template for understanding the common
causes of ministry challenge. In each situation there is a potentially destructive point of crisis for
the leader that must be considered and reckoned with in order to truly be resilient.
The foundational premise in the research up to this point is that in Christian ministry the
leader must be comfortable with crisis and conflict. It is inevitable.
The next premise that will shape the subsequent material is that God is at work even in
the midst of pain, crisis and conflict. He is behind the scenes bringing about formative changes
to the heart of the leader. With this in mind, McNeal’s assertion provides context: “Leaders who
grow through the conflict arena make a conscious decision to give God access to their hearts.
The decision may come early in their experience, perhaps even before they encounter serious
conflict. Or the decision may be made at some critical juncture or at the eleventh hour of some
potentially catastrophic leadership challenge. No matter when it is made, the decision itself is the
same: the leader chooses to look for God at work in every situation.” 29
The leader makes a choice to look for where God is at work even in the turbulent and
trying times. These are the times when God is perhaps wanting to do a very deep work in the life
of the ministry leader – a work that may not be able to be done in another context than that of
crisis and pain. So often a ministry leader may experience one or more of the Six Common
Challenges and instinctively bemoan people or the corresponding pain when in reality it has
served as the primary mechanism that God grows a leader. Therefore, the decision must be made
to look for where God is at work. What is he trying to accomplish through difficult situations?
How is he accomplishing his purposes in spite (and as a result) of ministry challenges? The
following are five byproducts of ministry challenges discovered in the pursuit of wanting to see
where God is at work.
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Restore Focus
C.S. Lewis has wisely said, “God whispers to us in our pleasure, but shouts to us in our
pain.” 30 It is interesting to note how the Lord gets the attention of his children primarily through
challenging situations. These seem to be the times when hearts, minds, ears and eyes are the
most open and receptive to the leading of the Lord. Whether the pain comes in the form of
painful person, fatigue, loneliness or a risky decision, the “leader who accepts pain as the work
of God…grows from it rather than being diminished by it.” 31 The painful “shout” serves to
restore the focus and resolve of the ministry leader. It becomes a wake-up call of sorts when
nothing else seems to garner the attention of the leader.
Speaking from the perspective of a business leader, Sonnenfeld and Ward point out that
“the first decision that a person faces in responding to a significant career setback is the question
of whether to fight or take flight.” 32 The authors contend that it is best for the leader to face up
to the issue and refuse to run. This becomes a point of focus. Rather than running away when
ministry becomes difficult, the challenge ought to serve to focus the thoughts of the leader onto
the purposes of God – what is He trying to accomplish?
Become Strong
The second work of God through ministry challenge is that the leader becomes stronger
than he or she was prior to the pain. The old adage applies here: “What doesn’t kill you will
make you stronger.” James Lee Witt, the former director of the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) has written about nine lessons for turning crisis into triumph in
his book entitled Stronger in the Broken Places. This title embodies the notion that crisis can
actually serve to strengthen the leader. During his eight years at FEMA, Witt and his team
handled 373 major disasters, including fifty-four tornadoes, forty-three floods, thirty-eight
hurricanes, four earthquakes, and one terrorist bombing. 33 In ministry circles a leader may never
experience the depth of destruction that FEMA has, and yet, the relational casualties can often be
significant. Walking through the challenges with resilience serves to strengthen the mettle of the
ministry leader and serve as preparation for the future.
Reflect Inwardly
When criticism or conflict breaks out, the leader is afforded the opportunity (often
forcibly) to evaluate inwardly. This involves discerning the motives both of the critic and of the
leader. Questions such as these must be asked: “What did I do to cause this crisis?” “What part
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do I play in this ongoing challenge?” “Do my critics have validity?” What needs to change
about me in response to these ministry challenges?”
When a leader takes the adequate time to reflect, they are much more likely to find the
growth point in the midst of pain rather than “demonizing the opposition.” McNeal references
this propensity and warns the leader that ‘sometimes criticism or unexpected differences arise
from those whose motives do not include challenging the leader’s leadership. These people do
not need to suddenly find themselves dubbed and treated as the opposition.” 34 This can be
avoided primarily through the pursuit of personal reflection and in the asking of questions such
as those mentioned above.
Not only will there be a shift away from the demonization of the opposition but there will
also be an acceptance of how leadership failures/shortcomings may have contributed to the
resultant situations. Gordon MacDonald contends that a “resilient person lays out his or her life
and contemplates it from a long-range view.” 35 It is so important to give room for reflection in
order to discover where God might be at work in the heart of a ministry leader.
Feel Compassion
Another byproduct of ministry challenges is that the leader tends to feel deeper
compassion for others. Rather than being distant and untouchable, the leader is reduced in his or
her awareness of there own pain and need. This is point of encouragement to followers that are
in need of compassion and grace. In his masterful work, The Wounded Healer, Henri Nouwen
comments that “a deep understanding of his [the leaders] own pain makes it possible for him to
convert his weakness into strength and to offer his own experience as a source of healing to those
who are often lost in the darkness of their own misunderstood sufferings.” 36 One would contend
that God develops compassion in leaders, in an optimum fashion, in and through painful and
trying situations. The scriptural understanding is freeing in its application: “freely you’ve been
given, now freely give.” 37 When compassion has been applied to the heart of the leader, then
that leader is behooved to extend it to others.
Develop Resilience
The dictionary defines crisis as “a crucial or decisive point or situation; a turning point.”
Crises are turning points in which the leader has the opportunity to have beneficial traits
developed. The primary trait and the topic of this research is that of resilience. With the proper
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perspective, each and every challenge and point of leadership pain has the potential to develop
resilience in the life of the leader. Remember: God is at work.
How Resilience Works
How does resilience work? Diane Coutu asked this question in an article for the Harvard
Business Review. She wondered “Why do some people bounce back from life’s hardships while
others despair?” 38 Her fundamental characteristics were straightforward and seemed to set
resilient people and companies apart from others. Her research of what causes people and
organizations to be resilient over time found an overlap in three specific ways. Coutu emphasizes
that all three of the following qualities must be present for their to be resilience.
Ability to accept and face down reality
The first trait of leaders is the “staunch acceptance of reality.” 39 Not to be reduced down
to an impractical form of optimism, the ability to face down reality is the unblinkingly positive
attitude in the midst of turbulence. 1 John 4:4 reiterates this truth: “the one who is in you is
greater than the one that is in the world.” This by no means ignores the certainty of that which is
in the world, but rather points to the existence of that which is greater.
The tragedy of September 11, 2001 gives multiple learning points for leaders. One of
which comes from the president of Morgan Stanley, the financial service. His company was
prepared for the toughest reality by having not just one, but three, recovery sites where
employees would gather if there were to be a disruption of the work environment. He observes,
“Multiple backup sites seemed like an incredible extravagance on September 10. But on
September 12, they seemed like genius.” Coutu observes, “Maybe it was genius; it was
undoubtedly resilience at work. The fact is, when we truly stare down reality, we prepare
ourselves to act in ways that allow us to endure and survive extraordinary hardship. We train
ourselves how to survive before the fact.” 40
The finest example of an acceptance of reality is found in Jesus. Hebrews 12:2-3 exhorts
us to “fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, who for the joy set before him
[here is brutal reality…] endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of
the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will
not grow weary and lose heart” (emphasis mine). When leaders, like Jesus, accept and face
down reality, then they are on their way towards responding with resilient leadership through the
challenges of ministry.
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Ability to find meaning in all aspects of life

Coutu reports, “resilient people devise constructs about their suffering to create some sort
of meaning for themselves and others.” 41 This is most certainly “easier said than done” and yet
when faced with a seemingly hopeless situation, those that established purpose in the pain were
the resilient ones.
A wonderful example of this trait is found in Holocaust survivor, Viktor Frankl. In his
book, Man’s Search for Meaning, Frankl describes one particular day in the Auschwitz camp in
which he worried about a number of concerns. Suddenly, he was disgusted by how trivial he had
become and knew that in order to survive he would have to find a deeper, more abiding purpose.
He began to imagine himself giving a lecture after the war on the psychology of the
concentration camp, to help outsiders understanding what he had been through. He writes in his
book: “We must never forget that we may also find meaning in life even when confronted with a
hopeless situation, when facing a fate that cannot be changed.” 42
It is this resolve that separates resilient people from others. The gap exists because many
will experience defeat and fail to assimilate the proper lessons into their grid of growth. It is a
daily adventure of discovery – finding meaning in all aspects of life, good or bad. McNeal
addresses the concept of meaning when he says, “Leaders work on their life stories every day.
Sometimes the day turns out to be momentous. Big decisions have to be made. Destinies hang in
the balance. Directions must be determined and courage summoned. Every leader has these days.
They can be exhilarating or frightening or anywhere in between.” 43 Ministry leaders have these
kinds of days – days that beckon the leader to discover meaning and purpose in the pain.
Ability to improvise
Simply put, Coutu relates this characteristic as the “ability to make do with whatever is at
hand.” 44 With part gifting and part improvisation, resilient leaders have a way of rebounding and
restoring purpose and passion in life. Particularly important for businesses in today’s fast-paced
climate is the value of improvisation – that characteristic in which a leader and organization
remains proactive and nimble. Unlike “luck”, improvisation is about a leader taking direct steps
and making key decisions to practice ingenuity.
So often the ministry challenges, such as those that have been considered in this research,
provide the leader with a crossroads of sorts: respond with resilience or give up? The function
of improvisation is one of response: response to situations that bewilder, response to crisis when
 16

others are running, and response in the face of pain and pressure. Each response reveals the
measure and the make of the leaders resilience.
Conclusions and Considerations
The primary approach to this research has been from the perspective of ministry
challenges that happen TO the leader rather than the pain originating FROM the leader. One
could contend that a degree of disappointment in leadership is of the leaders own making.
Moreover, the scope of research was mainly limited to the scriptural and practical implications of
ministry challenges. Little concern was given to psychological and chemical anomalies in
leaders. This would be an excellent next step in the research. Undoubtedly, much has been
produced regarding the byproducts of psychological and chemical imbalances, and the way it
affects decision-making, leading, care-giving, and processing of pain and disappointment.
Burnout in leadership circles has most likely been exacerbated by psychological and chemical
realities – the study of which would be helpful in understanding the complex nature of resilience
in ministry challenges.
Another important consideration would be to understand the long-view of how pain and
crisis in ministry leadership has and will affect different generations. The popular notion within
ministry circles has been to grin and bear it. How that compares and contrasts within multiple
generations’ remains to be discovered.
Equally valuable, and yet not within the confines of this research, is the reality of
inadequate leadership. The guiding assumption of this line of investigation has been that leaders
by in large are caring, honest, well-meaning, and growing in both character and competence.
What is omitted is the inclusion of poor, cruel, imbalanced, and domineering leadership. The pre-
supposition is that this kind of leadership carries with it a degree of self-initiated pain and crisis.
In others words, it is the leaders fault that he or she is experiencing such a difficult time.
Finally, an area that is only alluded to at the onset of this research has to do with the
wonderful joy of ministry. In rare cases will a leader experience 100% pain and crisis in
ministry. More often that percentage is much lower. The majority of ministry, for most leaders,
is joy-filled and rewarding. This, however, was not the scope of this research, and yet, needs to
be continually reiterated and celebrated.
 17

I personally have much to celebrate. I love my place in God’s family and enjoy my role
as one of his leaders. The congregation in which I serve is incredible, and there is much reason to
rejoice. I do, however, experience times of disappointment. I have and will continue to process
crisis, pain, and loneliness. I was drawn to this particular aspect of research because of seasons in
my life in which the challenges of ministry had become quite heavy. I was interested in
researching how others navigated the challenges and found hope in the midst of trying times. I
have indeed discovered new insights, particularly from the life of Elijah. As a result, my
leadership confidence has grown – focusing my understanding of the purposes of God in and
through my ministry challenges.
I am grateful for what has unfolded for me in this particular course, in that, I discovered
for the first time, the theoretical basis for leadership, and how influential theorists have shaped
this important study. What was of even greater value for me was the theological footing on
which each theory seemed to balance upon. There indeed is a spiritual gift of leadership, and the
Lord graciously has called workers to step into those roles. He will, by his grace, empower and
encourage, especially considering the inevitable challenges that lie ahead for the ministry leader.
 18

Notes
1
Max DePree, Leadership is an Art, (New York, NY: Doubleday, 2004)
2
Ronald A. Heifetz and Marty Linsky, Leadership on the Line: Staying Alive through the
Dangers of Leading (Boston: Mass, 2002), 208.
3
Reggie McNeal, A Work of Heart, (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2000), 174.
4
Jeffrey Sonnefeld and Andrew Ward, Firing Back: How Great Leaders Rebound After
Career Disasters (Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 2007), 3.
5
John A. Barnes, John F. Kennedy on Leadership: The Lessons and Legacy of a
President (New York: Amacom, 2005), 39.
6
Ibid. 48.
7
Bob Biehl, Increasing Your Leadership Confidence (Sisters, OR: Questar, 1989), 13.
8
Jay A. Conger, The Charismatic Leader: Behind the Mystique of Exceptional
Leadership (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1989), 4.
9
Bill Hybels, Courageous Leadership, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2002), 70.
10
Heifetz and Linsky, Leadership on the Line, 41.
11
Stanley Hauerwas and William Willimon, “The Limits of Care: Burnout as an Ecclesial
Issue,” Word & World, Luther Seminary, (1990): 252.
12
Ibid.
13
http://otbthinking.blogspot.com/2007/05/pain-of-leadership.html.
14
Suzanne C. Kobasa, “Stressful Life Events, Personality, and Health: An Inquiry into
Hardiness.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 37 (1979): 1-11
15
Barnes, John F. Kennedy on Leadership, 48.
16
Sonnefeld and Ward, Firing Back, 252.
17
Gary Yukl, Leading In Organizations (New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc, 1989.
Sixth Edition), 260.
18
Heifetz and Linsky, Leadership on the Line, 203.
 19

19
Henri Nouwen, The Wounded Healer (New York: Doubleday, 1972). 83.
20
Ibid. 85.
21
Scott D. Carmer, “An Exploration of Disappointment in Ministry” (MDiv. diss.,
Ashland Theological Seminary, 2003), 96.
22
Ibid. 138.
23
Nouwen, The Wounded Healer, 67
24
Carmer, “An Exploration of Disappointment in Ministry”, 10.
25
Ibid. 12.
26
Steven Berglas, Reclaiming the Fire: How Successful People Overcome Burnout (New
York: Random House, 2001), 5.
27
Michael Yaconelli, Messy Spirituality: God’s Annoying Love for Imperfect People
(Grand Rapids: Michigan, 2002). 96.
28
Ibid. 97.
29
McNeal, A Work of Heart, 173.
30
Ibid. 179.
31
Ibid.
32
Sonnefeld and Ward, Firing Back, 163.
33
James Lee Witt, Stronger in the Broken Places: Nine Lessons for Turning Crisis into
Triumph (New York: Times Books, 2002). 2.
34
McNeal, A Work of Heart, 161-162.
35
Gordon MacDonald, The Resilient Life (Nashville, TN: Nelson Books, 2004). 58.
36
Nouwen, The Wounded Healer, 87.
37
Matthew 10:8 (New International Version)
38
Diane L. Coutu, “How Resilience Works,” Harvard Business Review (2003): 79-96.
39
Ibid. 84.
 20

40
Ibid. 87.
41
Ibid. 88.
42
Viktor Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning (Washington Square Press, 1946), quoted in
Diane L. Coutu, “How Resilience Works,” Harvard Business Review (2003): 88.
43
McNeal, A Work of Heart, 177.
44
Coutu, “How Resilience Works”. 92.
 21

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