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GHADA BARSOUM — EMAN SHENOUDA
strategic action." Similarly, Rock’? underscores the power of encouraging
better thinking in others by improving the quality of conversations to create
sustainable behavioral change in their teams instead of imposing solutions.
This line of research challenges traditional notions of leadership as an extro¬
verted or forceful endeavor, instead positioning it as an exercise in patience,
deep listening, and guidance that fosters self-discovery and growth in others.
Quiet leadership is, therefore, not about passivity but about thoughtful action,
deep engagement, and long-term impact."
The COVID-19 pandemic prompted a surge in research on leadership
responses across various sectors that was not matched in the field of religious
leadership. There was a notable focus on the study of leadership in politics and
government”! and in government.” However, this rich body of research in the
fields of politics and government contrasts sharply with the relative scarcity
of studies on how leaders in other sectors—such as religious institutions,
nonprofit organizations, or smaller community networks—responded to the
pandemic. Pastoral leaders, in particular, faced unique challenges during
COVID-19, such as maintaining spiritual connections in the absence of phys¬
ical gatherings, addressing the emotional and psychological toll taken by the
pandemic on their communities, and adapting traditional practices to virtual
or socially distanced formats. The limited focus on these areas highlights an
opportunity for future research to explore how leadership in faith-based and
community organizations adapted to the pandemic and the lessons their
experiences offer for navigating crises in contextually specific ways. This is but
another reflection of the dearth of research on Christian leadership.
Writing during the lockdown, Pillay”? emphasizes the need for churches to
go beyond short-term adjustments and instead embrace long-term transfor¬
mative practices that enable them to thrive in an increasingly uncertain and
rapidly changing world. Adaptation, as highlighted by Pillay, refers to the
capacity of churches to modify their structures, practices, and strategies in
response to new challenges, such as the pandemic’s disruption of traditional
worship formats. Resilience, on the other hand, focuses on the ability of churches
to withstand and recover from crises while maintaining their core identity and
purpose. Pillay’s work challenges churches to view crises not merely as obsta¬
cles to overcome but as opportunities to grow, innovate, and better align their
18 Badaracco: Leading quietly.
Rock: Quiet leadership.
20 Mahadevia: Quiet Leader.
21 E.g. S. Wilson: Pandemic leadership: Lessons from New Zealand’s approach to COVID-19.
Leadership, 16(3), 2020, 279-293.
22 E.g. P.H. Huang: Put more women in charge and other leadership lessons from COVID-19.
FIU L. Rev., 15, 2021, 353.
23 J, Pillay: COVID-19 shows the need to make churches more flexible. Transformation, 37(4),
2020, 266-275.
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