To be a Christian leader, and pastor as leader not the least, is a job no one can perfectly fulfil. There is always a war tugging between self-inflated egoistic narcissism and over humble self-sacrificial (victimizing) false spirituality. How to balance it, here is one of the many balance one could cultivate, among many others:
Leaders, in particular, need enough healthy narcissism to confidently articulate a vision, inspire others, and made decisions. Healthy narcissism and self-confidence can coexist with capacities for virtues such as empathy and humility. In face, spiritual traditions that encourage excessive self-negation risk promoting the false humility that eventually results in covert narcissism.
S. Sandage, “Spirituality and Health,” in F. L. Shults and S. Sandage eds, Transforming Spirituality: Integrating Theology and Psychology, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2006), 214.
