Leadership and Loneliness

“Any leader who cannot endure profound levels of loneliness will not las long.”
Ruth Haley Barton, Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership,
Chapter 10, “The Loneliness of Leadership,” p. 162.
Leadership and loneliness are strange bedfellows. With the increased popularization of secular leadership models, what God
wants, often gets swept into the dustbin. It is the leader’s job to lead the church, agency, or institution on a quest to discern the
perfect will of God for the group. Those who would pursue spiritual leadership will often find themselves outside of the
circle of popularity. This is often a lonely place. Upon successful completion of this discussion, you will be
able to:
 Construct a list of best practices for coping with ministerial loneliness.

Background Information
Loneliness is an accepted occupational hazard for those who pursue religious leadership. This is why clarity about the
leader’s call, and clarity about the direction that God would take the ministry are of vital importance.

Instructions

Read:
a. Chapters 6—13, and the “Afterword” in Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership.
b. “Strategies Employed by Clergy to Prevent and Cope with Interpersonal Isolation(new tab),” from Pastoral Psychology.
Review Chapter 10, “The Loneliness of Leadership” in Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership and develop a brief outline of the chapter.
There are four parts to this initial post:
a. Drawing upon your notes from chapter 10 and your own experiences, describe the reasons for loneliness in ministry.
b. Describe a time when you experienced loneliness as a
Christian leader
i. What precipitated the feelings of loneliness?
ii. Was it after an unpopular decision?
iii. Was it a result of having to back away from
deeper personal friendship(s) with members of
the congregation?
iv. Was it because you were new to the ministry
context, or geographically displaced from your
normal support systems?

c. Describe how you coped with this episode of
loneliness?
d. What advice would you give a person who is new in
ministry for coping with loneliness or isolation?

Post your initial response by the end of the day on Tuesday.
a. Remember to add documentation for any quotes or
“borrowed ideas.”

Answer preview for Leadership and Loneliness

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