The Covid drain on your leadership capital

In March 2020 pastors had quick decisions to make. The first one was whether to continue in-person gathering, if that choice was not made for you by your judicatory, denomination, or state or local government. Many other considerations cascaded from there, mostly around how to nurture church members’ souls and relationships in safe, accessible, and effective ways.

The questions haven’t stopped since, as guidance has evolved with our understanding of Covid-19 and with the availability of testing and vaccines, as spikes in cases have occurred at different points, and as the contagiousness of the virus has ramped up with the emergence of variants. One constant, however, has been the politicization of Covid precautions and the resulting polarization, making every decision harder - and more costly for leaders. Before we were made guardians of public health, many ministers would work toward consensus on contentious matters. In a pandemic, though, we do not have that luxury. This virus is stealthy and speedy, and it can kill whether or not people believe in the potential breadth and depth of its harm. And so clergy have cashed in a lot of chips to do what we believe is faithful and necessary.

Pastors, just like leaders in any arena, accumulate capital. (Note that I dislike this economic metaphor, but it reflects the framework within which we and the people we serve often operate.) Sometimes it comes from being new and thus being offered the benefit of the doubt. It can derive from the authority with which the pastoral role is imbued. Most is earned by showing up for people in key moments and by demonstrating competent leadership over time.

The pandemic, though, has poked a big hole in pastors’ buckets of capital. All the trust they’ve earned is streaming out the bottom as they make one choice after another that is likely to be unpopular with some segment of the church. By the time Covid is finally reined in, there could be little to none left.

So what are your options?

Talk openly about this reality with lay leaders. Share your concerns with your personnel committee, pastoral relations team, and board about the effects of using all your capital now. That will enable them to understand what is happening and step in as needed when pushback swells.

Shift more of the decision-making - and communication about decisions - to a team. Yes, you still need to be involved in conversations and even take the lead sometimes. But don’t be the only one talking about the decisions verbally or in print, because then detractors’ anger becomes personalized.

Be clear about what the baseline for making decisions is. Create a chart, make it readily available, and stick to it. When X is happening, we do Y. (For example, when the number of positives in our county reaches a certain level, then we transition back to virtual worship until the stats trend down to a safer, specific level.) Then you and your team are not constantly revisiting the emotions and ideologies when implementing decisions but simply following a plan.

Invite backup from outside your congregation. Recruit your judicatory leader to speak hard truths, or invite a coach to help you have difficult conversations.

To the extent that you have bandwidth, talk with those you disagree with about the decisions. Stay curious. Let your detractors know that you are listening and that you care, even if the outcomes don’t change. This starts to rebuild your capital.

We’re still in the soup, and it looks like we might be for a while. To avoid flaming out in your current call or in ministry together, it’s important to feel like you have some room to maneuver. Use all the resources at hand when making tough calls. You’re not in this alone.

Photo by Mick Haupt on Unsplash.