Religious Leader the Fifth Toughest Leadership Role

That is, according to a recent ranking by Forbes magazine (see here).  The list of the top nine includes:

1. Stay-at-home Parent.
2. University President.
3. Second-in-command of Any Organization.
4. Football Coach.
5. Pastor, Rabbi, Mullah, or Other Holy Leader.
6. Mayor.
7. Editor for a Daily Newspaper.
8. U.S. Congressperson.
9. Corporate CEO.

For #5, the article writes:

Pros: You’re seen as a man or woman of God, and what you say gets taken seriously, at least momentarily.

Cons: “Being a pastor is like death by a thousand paper cuts,” says Rev. Dr. Ken Fong, senior pastor at Evergreen Baptist Church in Rosemead, California and a program director at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena.  “You’re scrutinized and criticized from top to bottom, stem to stern. You work for an invisible, perfect Boss, and you’re supposed to lead a ragtag gaggle of volunteers towards God’s coming future. It’s like herding cats, but harder.”

Adds Rob Jackson, interim pastor at Hilliard Presbyterian Church in Columbus, Ohio: “I’ve managed people in a traditional office and also in a church—and one of the major differences between is most of the workers in a church are volunteers who will not do something just because it’s their job. Managers of volunteers must always lead by demonstrating a vision for our mission and how their work fits into it.”