There’s a lot of definitions out there these days on what makes a good leader, and one of the common threads is that they are visionaries. Visionary leadership is considered a necessary trait for keeping an organization on track toward its goal, which the leader keeps in mind; the leader inspires others with the goal and influences them toward achieving it. For almost a week now, I’ve been considering the incarnation of Jesus, and his role as a shepherd in comparison — or should I say contrast — to the role which we’ve established today as a pastor. It’s gone something like this:
- The Rise of the Pastors & The End of the Megachurch Era
- That’s the Way (uh-huh, uh-huh) We Like It
- A Few Words on the Inevitability of the Incarnation
- The Being-ness and Presence of the Incarnation
I think I’ve established that
(1) we’ve got a lot of ideas wrapped up in the pastor’s role that are not characteristic of the shepherd’s role of which Jesus spoke, and
(b) the incarnational model has more to do with being and presence than it does with achieving specific goals or milestones.
It seems to me that this characteristic of visionary leadership is one of the aspects of the apostolic-pastoral CEO (who is most certainly expected to be visionary) that doesn’t fit the role of the shepherd or the incarnation. It just struck me last night as I was considering it… I don’t think Jesus was a visionary leader, at least not as we’ve defined it.
Jesus had a clear sense of his mission, and he gathered other people into it. He assaulted the status quo, enabling and empowering his followers to act in his same pattern. He called people to follow him and demonstrated the model he would have them follow. That’s leadership, and to some extent, it’s visionary leadership. But did Jesus communicate a plan and a strategy for implementing his vision? Did he direct its pursuit as his followers joined in? Was he almost bull-headed in his pursuit of the goal? Was he even goal-oriented?
Some of these questions are uncomfortable if you accept that leaders must be visionary in a certain fashion. Jesus was resolute, but he didn’t run over people pursuing his objective… in fact, this characteristic didn’t seem to really surface at all until he neared Jerusalem for the last time. He did much more encouraging than directing. But if Jesus had a clear strategy that we’re supposed to follow for his to achieve the spread of the gospel and advance of the Kingdom, I think it would have been communicated far more clearly than what we see in the Great Commission, or in Acts 1:8. For a mission of the scale we’re on, I think we have to acknowledge that the specific instructions he left are, well, a bit sketchy.
To be sure, Jesus left us a lot of instruction and a lot of example, but on the whole I think he told us far more about how we’re supposed to behave as we execute the strategy than he did about the strategy itself. In the end, we have characteristics of the plan but not the clear plan itself. So does Jesus fail as a visionary leader? What do you think, is this a fair assessment, or am I overlooking something crucial? If Jesus was visionary but in a different way than we typically describe it, how would you mark or describe those differences?
Update:
Okay, I’ve been doing some catch-up blog reading, and naturally discovered in some of the blogs I follow that Hamo is talking about Bonhoeffer suggesting that God hates visionary dreaming. After a good Bonhoeffer quote from Life Together, he writes, “some of what masquerades as visionary dreaming” is “our own ego needs being expressed in the form of a corporate vision.”
Ed Brenegar picks it up from there, saying, “All too often church leaders fall into the trap of thinking that our vision for the church is Godly, when it is simply the enthusiasm of ego rush.” He goes on to discuss the difference between values statements, vision statements, and mission statements — all different.
Perhaps this is what I’m on about, that Jesus gave us some values (beliefs and characteristics on how we go about things: “live this way”) and a mission statement (“go ye” (and sorry for the KJV, it happens when I quote from memory sometimes ;^) ) or “as the Father sent me, so send I you” or “you will be my witnesses…” etc.) but maybe he didn’t give us nearly so much in the vision statement department. I posted the above before reading these two posts, from which some good discussion is developing.
Further thoughts?
I think we just pay attention to the wrong portion of the vision. We want to know what we are supposed to do because we want to be important. But both the Great Commission and Acts 1:8 are prefaced with “Behold all power in heaven and earth has been given to me” and “when you have been clothed with the Holy Spirit”.
That is the vision. His power is making all things new. We just miss how that happens all around us ’cause that takes patient attention to the leader’s hand. We’d rather just get some marching orders and get busy.
I’ve really appreciated the writings that you and others have done about corporate visions, being visionary, what is a good leader, etc. The series you have posted has articulated much of what I’ve been thinking but have been unable to put into words. The closest I get to a meaningful thought is a gagging sound I involuntarily make when I read about “strong leaders” who are the “corporate vision receivers” and who are responsible to make sure the vision is fulfilled. Thanks for exploring this topic.
“The definition of leadership as “vision” trips a variety of cliches. Leadership as “vision” has become another way about exercising dominance and pushing other people around your ideas. Governor Gray Davis of California–subsequently recalled–was toast the minute he said, early in his term, that the state legislature’s job was to “implement my vision.” Vision has become a way of declaring dominance, of achieving alpha status and stats.
“Futhermore, “vision casting” is most often nothing more than “strategic planning” board games. “Visionary” endows shopworn ideas with new roadworthiness and respectability. Even worse, when leadership development is disfigured as “the vision thing,” we are teaching a dysfunctional system to leaders whose success will hinge on their ability to dismantle the very thing they’ve been taught.” Sweet, “Summoned to Lead.”
When we started Upstream we went without any kind of vision statement, because I figure it was pretty clear from Matt 28 what we were to do. if we need some fancy words to inspire people to do it then we’re pushing uphill already!
I was involved with photoshop all day yesterday so I’m just getting to this. I did skim it though and wondered if you’d read Hamo’s post!
I’ve been reading “The Celtic Way of Evangelism” by George Hunter and am beginning to wonder if this sentence you wrote isn’t a key:
To be sure, Jesus left us a lot of instruction and a lot of example, but on the whole I think he told us far more about how we’re supposed to behave as we execute the strategy than he did about the strategy itself.
In particular, I think this bit is really the important part “… but on the whole I think he told us far more about how we’re supposed to behave …” I was struck by this the other day when a couple of Latter Day Saints brothers came to my door. They were doing their thing and spreading their word. But I wasn’t interested. I had a houseful of kids (mine and a friends) and the friend and other plans. So I told them gently at first, Please, I’m not interested. And they tried to argue with me. So I finally had to get sort of belligerent with them, which felt ridiculous with my silly dog and kids trying to be friendly and they had those silly bike helmets on and all. But ….
They were executing a strategy. To be sure, it’s a strategy that has worked for the LDS church, etc. But I think when we read Scripture … when we look at the whole vista of God’s desire to be with His people and His creation that’s the river we see running throughout the whole OT and NT. I think it’s our lives that are to be the gift given in response to that love. If we live our lives as a love offering back to God … people who interact with us begin to notice.
In the end, it’s our behavior that is going to shine and express God’s vision. When we attempt to wrestle our own vision onto to others, people get hurt. As most of us know from personal experience.
I think that as in most things, Jesus was a failure as a visionary leader by our standards. But those are failed standards at best.
I think Jesus was a definite visionary. The vision of the kingdom of God on earth was what he was after and he lived that out in his daily life. I think of the many people he cared for and accepted, the people he touched, the people he helped, the disciples he taught. Each of them getting a glimpse in Jesus of what life in the kingdom of God is all about. I think Jesus was the vision himself and the best part about it, is that Jesus never said we had to attain it, but that he would attain it for us. Now the vision is still there for us as it says in the Lord’s prayer, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” And Jesus said he would live that vision out through us as we trust and depend on Him. I’d say Jesus was the greatest visionary of all time.
I agree that most of what travels under the banner of leadership is human ego. It seems that most church leaders have excised Luke 22:26 from their Bibles. It is a disgrace all the people who have been trampled in the name of “God’s vision for us.” God have mercy on us.
Rod
I have come to similar conclusions in recent years. I do agree that the “visionary leadership” model as popularized in recent years does owe more to secular management thinking than biblical exegesis.
Having said that, the Lord Jesus clearly possessed “vision” in the sense of a clear God-given sense of call and purpose which shaped his life and decisions. Of course, he never used carnal methods to enlist people to “his” vision nor did he seem troubled by the presence of others who operated independently of his “team” (whoever is not against us is for us…)
Thanks for the blog.
I think, overall, jesus was indeed a failure on many fronts.