Pastor as Catalyst: Four Transformational Postures for Pastoral Leadership, Part 8 of 11

The Posture of Perspective

Much can be said for what is called a leader’s vision. Author and researcher George Barna defines vision as “a clear mental image of a preferable future imparted by God to His servants and is based upon an accurate understanding of God, self, and circumstances.” One of the key features for Barna is that vision is imparted to leaders specifically and not to groups. Contrast this with author Jim Collins whose seminal decade long research collated into his book Good to Great has rocked business, social sector, and leadership paradigms everywhere. Collins maintains that vision is something that is discerned when you get the right passionate people, in the right seats, doing what they can do together better than anyone else. So vision gets defined and gains clarity as the organization moves daily towards doing better what it is uniquely passionate about. Len Sweet, adding his own unique perspective maintains that vision is not something seen, but rather heard. Vision in his articulation is “seen” through “hearing.”

I think that the Christian vision is a fixed vision disclosed by Jesus in his resurrection.

The Lutheran systematic theologian Walter Bouman used to tell his students that he was a mystery novel buff. What was surprising however was the way in which he read his novels. He would read the first two chapters to learn the characters and discover the tension that had to be resolved and then would flip to the last chapter to read how it all turned out. He pointed out that inevitably, this changed how he participated with the middle of the novel. In other words, it did not hold the same level of tension for him.

He used this personal peculiarity to make a point. “This is the Christian life,” he would say. “Because we know how it all comes out in the end through the resurrection of Jesus, we have the joy of participating in our present without the same fears and anxiety. God has our future in hand.”

As a posture of leadership, the posture of perspective is grounded in a future held by God. It is leadership that is able to frame in conversation and action the challenges of the present in light of the God who holds the last word, a word of life, in our tomorrow. This posture discerns the work of God in our midst. In light of the resurrection of Jesus Christ it expects transformation in Christian life and community to be the rule rather than the exception. This sort of leadership dreams big for the kingdom because it understands the work of the church to be grounded in the God who is today on the move and who ultimately raises the dead.