The elementary school in Boise, Idaho, that our children attended had a dedicated and capable leader. The principal of the school could be found doing virtually any job within that institution. If a lunch server were out sick, she might be wearing an apron and gloves and serving lunches to students. If a playground attendant needed an emergency day off, she would be out on the playground, ensuring the safety of the children. She was an excellent classroom teacher.
Additionally, she handled all the administrative tasks of the school. She was involved in hiring, placing, and supporting staff. She met with parents and was an active member of the Parent-Teacher organization. She helped develop independent educational plans for students with special needs. Her staff, parents, and teachers were all confident that she was capable of doing every job in the school and doing it well.

One day, when I was volunteering at the school, a student erupted in anger. We later learned the reason, but at the time, all I knew was that he suddenly turned violent, upending a desk, throwing a chair at another student, shouting and screaming. I was unsure of what to do. Because I was the closest adult to the child and because I was big enough to do so, I picked him up and held him at arm’s length while I carried him out of the classroom into the hallway. I had no idea what I should do next. Fortunately for me, the principal heard the ruckus and responded quickly. She met me at the doorway of the classroom, took the child in her arms, and calmed him. Later, when all the children were safe and the angry student’s mother had come to care for him, I told the principal how grateful I was that she saw her job as being present throughout the school, not just sitting in her office.

Not all administrators are that competent. Since it is my profession, I will use the ministry as an example. I have known mid-level judicatory officials who shuffled paperwork, met with boards and committees, but could never do the job I did. One Conference Minister made no apology for preaching the same sermon every Sunday. Because he traveled from church to church, he managed to get away with it for nearly a year. A preacher’s job is to make connections between the Biblical texts and the lives of the members of the congregation. He was unaffected by the events in the lives of those he led in worship. He did not research the congregations in his conference. He didn’t understand the dynamics of the pastors' lives. I used to say, “He wouldn’t last a month in my job.” There is more to the story, but I’ve witnessed plenty of ministers who rose to positions in conference and national settings of the church who, frankly, were not very good at being ministers. As a local church pastor, there have been times when I was embarrassed by the lack of competence and unwillingness to do the hard work of ministry exhibited by some of my colleagues.

I have never served in the military. It is easy to imagine, however, that the military leaders who were summoned to Marine Corps Base Quantico yesterday to listen to a rambling speech from President Trump, who never served in the military, and an hour-long lecture on woke culture by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The event occurred on the eve of the shutdown of the United States government, which raises numerous issues and problems for the US military. Although service members are essential and will continue to receive pay, the support they receive from civilian contractors is in question. Those generals return to their commands facing a wide range of questions and problems today.

They don’t need a new set of guidelines for the physical fitness of troops. It isn’t as if either of the speakers at their event could pass a PT test. Hegseth made a big deal of physical fitness and grooming standards. He seemed not to know that all women serving in combat positions have been screened for physical fitness and their ability to perform their jobs. It isn’t as if Hegseth knows how to land a jet on an aircraft carrier, or pilot a drone from a remote base. The women currently serving in combat positions in the United States military are qualified to do so.

Hegseth entered military service in the Minnesota National Guard as a commissioned officer after graduating from university. His deployments included guarding detainees at Guantanamo Bay, serving as a civil-military operations officer, and a training officer. He didn’t rise to his present position because of combat experience. He gained recognition as a co-host of Fox & Friends Weekend, leading to his appointment to his current job by the President. Even though cabinet positions are authorized and named by acts of Congress, he is proud of the “name change” from Secretary of Defense to Secretary of War. He speaks of lethality as if he doesn’t know that suicide is the leading cause of death for active-duty military members. He called for “changes to the retention of adverse information on personnel records,” signaling that bullying and unprofessional behavior are acceptable.

The dedicated women and men of the United States military are faithful to their oaths of loyalty to the Constitution. They are consciously apolitical in their official function. They serve all presidents regardless of party affiliation or political position. I am confident that the generals assembled yesterday demonstrated professional behavior and will continue to serve with honor and integrity as they return to their commands today. They know that they will continue to face unexplained actions from their political leaders, including cuts in the number of general officers, firings of other top military leaders, and deployments to US cities without clear-cut missions. They know how to train troops, and they understand that deploying them to US cities without adequate support and without a clear-cut mission is ineffective training, despite what their leaders say in speeches.

We live in dangerous times. Unfortunately, we currently have leaders who lack the skills to accurately assess the dangers and respond effectively. On the other hand, they do less damage when making speeches than when issuing policy orders. Perhaps we need to create more opportunities for speeches for those who appear incapable of undertaking the actual hard work of leadership. Like my conference minister colleague, they are likely to deliver the same speech over and over again.