Margaret J. Marcuson, Leaders Who Last: Sustaining Yourself and Your Ministry. Seabury Books, 2009.
Referenced in:
- Leadership and Emotional Systems, Self-Differentiation
- Ministry Burnout, Preventing and Overcoming
- Giving and Financial Stewardship
LifeandLeadership.com Summary
Margaret Marcuson is a newer author in applying emotional systems to the practice of church leadership. She was a student of Ed Friedman, and translates his insights quite well. Typical of emotional systems material, there is an emphasis on knowing one’s own story. She says, “”When we unconsciously act from our family script, our choices are limited. It tells us how to be angry, or how to hide, or how to protect others. We learned our lines as soon as we learned to talk.” (34)
Beyond this common refrain from emotional systems theory, Marcuson makes some unique applications to church leadership. She focuses on accepting responsibility for oneself and modeling maturity from the depth of that inner clarity, helping others become more mature simply by association. She also stresses how leaders should know their congregation’s story as well as their own, and out of this self-understanding have greater awareness of how they control others, demand change, over/under-function, etc. She believes most current models for ministry are based on over-functioning assumptions about the church leader’s role, and poses excellent questions at the end of each chapter to help leaders assess themselves more healthfully. Also, chapter 6 offers a superb three-step process for knowing and acting on one’s life purpose.
Another special feature is that Marcuson seems to take the key issues that typically contribute to ministry burnout, and shows how self-definition and self-differentiation helps one deal more productively with those issues. For example with regard to change, she says, “When you are more motivated for people to change than they are, then you have a problem—and they have all the power. The more they resist, the more you get sucked in. The more energy you spend trying to change them, the more things stay the same.” (54) She provides similar insight into matters of church finances, a constant source of ministry frustration.
From the Publisher
Is helping others overrated? Is ministry a recipe for burnout? How can pastors last the course? Author and pastor Margaret Marcuson introduces the notion of sustainable ministry, which trains and empowers pastors to focus on their inner resources for proactive leadership, instead of trying harder to help, fix or change others. Leaders Who Last draws upon the authors own pastoral experience and leadership, plus a significant analysis of leadership in both families and churches over generations. Interviews with current church leaders punctuate chapters on stress, spiritual practice, church triangles, relationships, self awareness, money, and creating a climate where true change can take place.
About the Author
Margaret J. Marcuson studied family systems with Edwin Friedman. She speaks and writes on leadership, and works with faith leaders nationally as a consultant and coach through her company, Marcuson Leadership Circle, based in Portland, Oregon. She is an ordained American Baptist minister.
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