{"id":64518,"date":"2025-09-01T17:00:36","date_gmt":"2025-09-01T17:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/?p=64518"},"modified":"2026-03-04T15:00:38","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T15:00:38","slug":"leadership-that-doesnt-flinch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/leadership-that-doesnt-flinch\/","title":{"rendered":"Leadership That Doesn\u2019t Flinch"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
What is leadership? And how does one lead? A quick scan of your local bookstore might convicne you it\u2019s about mastering certain techniques or demonstrating personal charisma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then comes Edwin Friedman\u2019s A Failure of Nerve<\/em>, like a boulder crashing through the frozen lake of conventional leadership wisdom. The text is something of a cult-classic: unknown to many, and beloved by those who\u2019ve stumbled upon it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Friedman was a Jewish rabbi and therapist, yet Christian pastors and leaders will find his words illuminating, as if someone turned on the lights to reveal what they\u2019ve been stumbling over in the dark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Friedman\u2019s central claim is that leadership is shaped more by the leader\u2019s emotional presence than by merely knowing what to do. When pastors try to lead toward positive change, they often encounter resistance, anxiety, and even sabotage of their leadership. The task of leadership is not to out-strategize the chaos but to manage manage your own anxiety, remain connected to your people, and retain the conviction to stay the course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In an age addicted to data and chasing the next quick fix, Friedman offers something better: courage. His work reminds us that faithful leadership isn\u2019t about controlling outcomes\u2014it\u2019s about becoming the sort of non-anxious presence that helps facilitate real growth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
For pastors spinning their wheels and worn out by shallow solutions, A Failure of Nerve<\/em> is both a bracing challenge and a glass of cool water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bryce Hales<\/strong> is lead pastor of Trinity Presbyterian Church in San Luis Obispo, California and co-author, with his wife Ashley, of <\/em>A Fruitful Life.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"