Spying on a Vision

“I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.”--Philippians 3

In 1917 L.L. Nunn founded Deep Springs College in the desert of California. It is an all-male junior college which combines dairy farming, cattle ranching and philosophy. Nunn, who never graduated from college made his fortune in the early years of hydroelectric power with George Westinghouse. He envisioned a geographically isolated college where boys could be transformed by the great ideas of history. His vision was a combination of “Christian mysticism, imperialist elitism, Boy Scout-like abstinence, and Progressive era learning –by-doing*.” Deep Springs was not his first attempt at vision-building. He had tried unsuccessfully to create a similar school in Virginia (it was too close to town) and he funded a scholarship house at Cornell (too conventional). Ninety years later, Deep Springs still adheres to his original vision—and over half of its graduates go on to finish other degrees at Harvard, Yale or Oxford.

What is the vision that drives your ministry? Nunn had a vision that outlasted himself and Paul kept striving “toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call.” We need a vision larger than ourselves to sustain our ministries. The goal must be broad enough to encompass the whole Church and deep enough to move us beyond our self-interests. Without a vision, not only do the people perish but we as leaders languish. We become bored by or burned out from the tedious grunt work of ministry. We develop bad habits that hurt ourselves and others. Ironically, we need to be a part of something larger than ourselves for the sake of ourselves. Chances are if it is a goal that you can achieve in your tenure or lifetime then it is too small a goal. It does not require a leap of faith.

The Greek word skopos (“goal”) is rare in the New Testament. In Philippians it means “the object on which one fixes the eye” or a “mark” as in an athletic contest. But the word can also mean a “watchman”, “a look-out guy”, a “scout”, or even a “spy”.

All of which are good metaphors for how we should be visionary leaders. The vision is a gift from God, who is constantly giving it to us as we do our work. We don’t create it so much as we receive it in bits and pieces over time and through a variety of people and events in the life of the congregation. The task of the visionary leader is to be on the look out for fragments of God’s vision refracted through the desires and events in the Church. We are to scout out those ideas. We are to do surveillance in the congregation for any positive signs of the Spirit’s direction.

Visionary leaders discern these fragments and put them together in a coherent whole. What made FDR a great President was that he was able to sense what the people wanted and put it into a concrete plan called the New Deal. In 1932 no one was asking for that specific set of programs, but there was a general sense in which the people wanted the government to do “something.” As a visionary leader he was able to tap into that desire and give it form and function.

A visionary leader can get too far ahead of a congregation when he or she comes up with an idea that is not connected with their desires. If the leader does not listen closely and pause for critical self-reflection, then he or she will resent the congregation. “Why don’t they get it?” and “They just don’t want to do anything!” become the mantras.

On the other hand, a leader can get too far behind a congregation. He or she can be so wishy-washy that the congregation spins its wheels in frustration because they have no direction. Like a car stuck in the mud, the church is like a bunch of kids in the backseat complaining and fighting with each other. Without a vision they have no where to direct their energy except against each other and the leadership.

What is your vision, the goal toward which your ministry is pressing on? Is it bigger than your ego? Is it deep enough to touch the passion of the congregation? Is it God’s vision?

* Dana Goodyear, “The Searchers,” The New Yorker, September 4, 2006.