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GHADA BARSOUM — EMAN SHENOUDA
of how religious institutions can navigate crises and highlights the importance
of leadership development tailored to the unique needs of faith-based com¬
munities. Regarding leadership, this paper highlights the role of “quiet” lead¬
ership” during the pandemic. The Coptic Church, though a hierarchical Church,
gave its dioceses space to make decisions on opening and closing churches as
the situation in each diocese allowed. Additionally, each local church responded
to the needs of its congregants in a way that reflected the nature of the local
community and its unique capacities.
The structure of the paper is as follows. The following section discusses the
conceptual framework of church leadership and how COVID-19 was a true
test of leadership. This is followed by a discussion of methodology. The findings
of the study are divided into four subsections and are followed by the conclu¬
sion.
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK: CHURCH LEADERSHIP
AND THE PANDEMIC
The development of leaders in government, business, and nonprofit organiza¬
tions (NPOs) has been the subject of extensive research, resulting in a robust
body of knowledge that explores leadership theories, strategies, and practices.
However, this depth and breadth of analysis have not been equally applied to
the development of pastoral leaders, creating a significant gap in the literature.
McKenna, Yost, and Boyd” argue that while other sectors benefit from well¬
established frameworks and empirical studies on leadership development,
pastoral leadership remains underexplored, despite its critical role in guiding
faith communities, fostering spiritual growth, and influencing social and cul¬
tural dynamics. This imbalance suggests the need for greater academic atten¬
tion to the unique challenges and contexts of pastoral leadership, which differ
significantly from those in other fields. Addressing this gap could enrich the
understanding of leadership development in religious settings and provide
more tailored approaches to support pastoral leaders in their multifaceted
roles.
This context-specific nature of leadership”? makes it challenging to directly
borrow theories or models from fields like business, government, or nonprofit
1 Rock: Quiet leadership.
1 R.B. McKenna — P.R. Yost — T.N. Boyd: Leadership development and clergy: Understanding
the events and lessons that shape pastoral leaders. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 35(3),
2007, 179-189.
2 E.g. D. Belchetz — K. Leithwood: Successful leadership: does context matter and if so, how?.
In Successful principal leadership in times of change: An international perspective, Dordrecht:
Springer Netherlands, 2007, 117-138.
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