A Different Kind of Leadership

A Meditation by Rev. Cameron Trimble

“The time is always ripe to do right.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

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King Charles III looks on after addressing a joint meeting of Congress at the US Capitol. Photograph: Getty Images

Yesterday, King Charles addressed the United States Congress in a rare speech from a foreign leader.¹

What stood out to me was not just what he said, but how he said it. His words were measured, thoughtful, informed, and calm.

He spoke as someone who understands the weight of history and how fragile democracy can be. He talked about alliances, shared responsibility, climate change, and the need for countries to work together in a challenging world. He did not act outraged, mock his opponents, or reduce complex issues to simple slogans.

For a moment, many of us were reminded that leadership does not have to look like the chaos we have grown accustomed to.

Realizing this brings both comfort and sadness. It’s comforting to know that a different kind of leadership still exists. But it’s also sad because so much of our public life is now shaped by spectacle, humiliation, impulsiveness, and constant conflict.

We are living in a moment where dysfunction is often mistaken for strength. Rage is confused with authenticity. Cruelty is reframed as honesty. Leaders who dominate the emotional atmosphere receive more attention than those who cultivate wisdom, steadiness, and discernment.

That distorts us over time.

This is especially true for younger generations.

I worry about our children. If all they see is leadership built on contempt, performance, and grievance, they begin to assume that this is simply what power looks like. They inherit a diminished moral imagination about what public life can be.

That’s why moments like yesterday are important. It’s not because King Charles is perfect, or because monarchy can’t be criticized. It’s because he showed us something we risk losing: elderhood.

An elder is more than just an older person. An elder knows how to handle power without letting it take over. They show restraint, can deal with complex situations without overreacting, and understand that leadership is not just about expressing themselves. It’s about taking care of others.

In modern Western culture, we rarely talk about elderhood because our society values newness, speed, disruption, and attention. Elders act differently. They don’t try to take over the room; they try to steady it. They know leadership isn’t just about getting their way, but about making sure life can go on.

That kind of leadership still exists in the world.

Young people need to see it.

They should know that public life does not have to be organized around humiliation and fear. We need them to encounter leaders who think before they speak, who understand history, who respect institutions without worshipping them, and who recognize that words shape the emotional life of nations.

This isn’t just wishing for a more polite time. Being polite by itself doesn’t bring justice. But there is a profound difference between leadership that inflames every wound in a society and leadership that tries to hold a society together while telling the truth about the challenges it faces.

We are hungry for that difference right now.

The real question after yesterday’s speech isn’t whether we agree with every policy or political system. It’s about what kind of leadership we are starting to accept as normal.

Every culture ends up reflecting what it rewards.

• If we reward spectacle, we will produce more spectacle.

• If we reward cruelty, we will normalize cruelty.

• If we reward wisdom, steadiness, and depth, we create space for those qualities to grow.

This is true for nations, but also for communities, families, groups, and even ourselves.

Leadership is never only “out there.” We practice it every day in how we carry ourselves, how we respond to conflict, and whether we add to the chaos or help steady the room.

Yesterday showed us that a different way is still possible.

And in times like these, that reminder is important.

We are in this together,

Cameron

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Reflection Questions

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1. What qualities do you most long for in leadership right now?

2. Who has modeled elderhood for you in your own life?

3. In your daily interactions, do you add to the emotional chaos around you or help steady the room?

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A Prayer for the Day

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A Prayer For Wisdom and Steadiness

Spirit of Life,
we are living in anxious times.

So much of public life rewards speed, outrage, and performance.
So much of our culture mistakes noise for strength.

Teach us another way.

Form in us the qualities of true elderhood.
Give us wisdom that does not need attention.
Give us steadiness that does not depend on control.
Give us the courage to speak truth without humiliating others.

Help us become people who calm fear rather than inflame it,
people who create space for dignity, thoughtfulness, and care.

And remind us that leadership begins long before positions of power.
It begins in how we carry ourselves toward one another each day.

Amen.

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Spiritual Practice

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Steadying the Room

Today, pay attention to the emotional atmosphere around you. Notice when conversations become reactive, performative, or driven by outrage. Notice how quickly anxiety spreads from one person to another.

Instead of matching that energy, practice becoming a steady presence.

Slow your speech. Listen carefully. Resist the urge to react immediately or dominate the conversation.

Ask yourself: What would an elder do in this moment?

Choose one interaction today in which you intentionally bring calm, clarity, or thoughtfulness into the room.

Small acts of steadiness matter more than we often realize.

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Upcoming Events That Might Be of Interest…

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My team and I launched a new experiment we are calling “The Commons.” It’s an online space centered around communities of practice: groups of people who share a common concern, set of problems, or passion for a topic, and deepen their knowledge and expertise by interacting on an ongoing basis. Join the community here.

May 27, 2026, 12pm ET - FREE WEBINAR - I will be hosting an online experience titled “Reclaiming the Power of Imagination: A live experiential webinar with Jackie Sussman." Jackie, a psychotherapist, author, and leading expert in Eidetic Image Psychology, has spent over forty years helping leaders and individuals unlock creativity, uncover hidden strengths, and move through limiting patterns. During this session, she will lead a live Eidetic process shaped by mythic imagery, offering a direct experience of the work. REGISTER HERE.

On July 19-24, 2026, I’ll be leading a Women’s Wellness Retreat in the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming, and I’d love to extend the invitation to you. We’ll spend five days off the grid, riding horses through wide open landscapes, sharing meals, and creating space to slow down enough to hear ourselves think again. This retreat is about returning to yourself, settling your nervous system, letting go of what you’ve been carrying, and getting clearer about what matters now. The group will be small (no more than 10 women), and we’ll move at a steady, spacious pace, with plenty of room for both conversation and quiet. I hope you’ll consider joining us.

I drafted a Strategic Framework for Congregations as we move into the coming years of increased authoritarianism around the world. If interested, you can download it here.

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Fun Things My Friends Are Up To…

I get to work with such amazing, creative people. This section is my way of celebrating them—no paid promotions, just joy in what they’re creating.

My colleagues at The Hartford Institute for Religion Research released new findings Friday showing American congregations have made measurable gains since the pandemic — but the picture is complicated. The report, “Signs of Rebound Amid Uneven Recovery: The Changing Congregational Landscape,” draws on a national survey of 7,453 congregations conducted between September and December 2025.

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I am very lucky to collaborate with the great team at Church Anew in a number of ways. We are dreaming up a preaching conference and wonder who you might like to learn from (if you are a preacher-type). If you have a moment, fill out this form.

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My colleague, the amazing Rev. Anna Golladay, is hosting another online training in Protest and Action Chaplaincy. This course offers a framework for providing compassionate, grounded spiritual care during protests, advocacy gatherings, and social movements. Drawing from a variety of faith traditions and critical social justice theory, it equips chaplains, pastors, and spiritual leaders to respond with integrity, purpose, and preparedness. LEARN MORE HERE.

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If you are a leader or member of a congregation looking for consulting support in visioning, planning, hiring or staffing, please consider Convergence.

1. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/apr/28/king-charles-speech-congress