Southwestern Seminary Visionary Leadership Association Summit Southwestern Seminary Fort Worth, Texas

This Session on Vision In this session you will: Discovery four characteristics of a visionary leader

Visionary Leadership #1. Visionary leaders are visionaries #2. Visionary leaders have a personal vision #3. Visionary leaders lead visionary organizations #4. Visionary leaders understand their times and know what to do

Visionary Leadership #1. Visionary leaders are visionaries

Visionary Leadership #1. Visionary leaders are visionaries •Visionaries have a clear, challenging picture of the organization’s future as they believe it can and must be. •Take the Vision Style Audit.*

Development of Vision • An important factor in developing a vision is your vision-style. •Your vision-style is how you catch a vision.

Vision Style Audit Directions: Take out a sheet of paper and number from 1 to 11.

Vision Audit Directions: Write down the letter (a or b) that best describes your preference. 1. I tend to a) dislike new problems b) like new problems 2. I work best with a) facts b) ideas

Vision Audit 3. I like to think about a) what is b) what could be a) established ways to do things b) new ways to do things

Vision Audit 5. I enjoy skills that a) I have already learned and used b) are newly learned but unused 6. In my work I tend to a) take time to be precise b) dislike taking time to be precise

Vision Audit 7. I would describe my work style as a) steady with realistic expectations b) periodic with bursts of enthusiasm 8. I have found that I am a) patient with routine details b) Impatient with routine details

Vision Audit 9. I am more likely to trust my a) Experience b) Inspiration 10. I am convinced that a) seeing is believing b) believing is seeing

Vision Audit 11. I tend to be a) a pessimist b) an optimist

Interpretation •Total the number of As you circled. •Total the number of Bs you circled. •Which is the greater number?

Interpretation •If you circled more As than Bs, you’re the type of leader who catches a vision by visit- ing another ministry and seeing it for your- self. You focus more on the present than the future. Vision-style: Vision Catcher

Interpretation •If you circled more Bs than As, you’re the type of leader who creates a vision in your head. You focus primarily on the future and are a natural visionary. Vision-style: Vision Creator

Visionary Leadership #1. Visionary leaders are visionaries #2. Visionary leaders have a personal vision

Visionary Leadership #2. Visionary leaders have a personal vision •They’re directional leaders- have a clear life’s direction. •One’s life-direction consists of two core ingredients -Personal mission* -Personal vision*

Visionary Leadership Personal Mission •Definition •Importance •Discovery •Development •Application

Visionary Leadership Definition of Mission A statement of what God wants you to do with your life.

Visionary Leadership Importance of Mission •Aids in discovering your ministry niche •Brings a sense of meaning and significance •Focuses your life and ministry •Helps evaluate one’s life •Key to developing a personal vision

Visionary Leadership Discovery of Mission (Two Ds) •Know your design Gifts Passion Temperament* •Know your direction

Visionary Leadership Temperament •DiSC D-eagle I-peacock S-dove C-owl •MBTI (KTS)

Visionary Leadership Temperament Question What do people with my temperament do in ministry?

Visionary Leadership Discovery of Mission (Two Ds) •Know your design -Gifts -Passion -Temperament •Know your direction

Visionary Leadership Development of Mission (Examples) My mission in life is to be used of God to equip a new generation of leaders nationally and internationally for high- impact ministryin the 21st. Century. Slogan: Equipping tomorrow’s leaders today.

Visionary Leadership Development of Mission (Examples) My mission in life is to come alongside churches and help them to become all that Christ wants them to be. Slogan: Envisioning tomorrow today.

Visionary Leadership Application of Mission (Try it!) •What are your gifts? •What is/are your passion(s)? What do you feel strongly and care deeply about? •What is your temperament (DiSC and MBTI)? What are people with your temperament doing in ministry?

Visionary Leadership Application of Mission (Try it!) •What kind of divine design is best for what you do in the ministry organization? •Who is doing this well, and what is his/her divine design?

Visionary Leadership Personal Vision •Definition •Importance •Development •Application

Visionary Leadership Definition of Vision A clear, challenging picture of the future of your life and personal ministry as you believe it can and must be.

Visionary Leadership Importance of Vision While a personal mission helps you to know where you’re going, the vision helps you to see where your going.

Visionary Leadership Development of Vision •Expand your personal mission statement •Build upon each of your personal ministry core values

Visionary Leadership Development of Vision (An Example) Cf. p. 167 of Being Leaders

Visionary Leadership Application of Vision (Let’s Try It!) Based on your personal mission and/or values, what do you see yourself doing 5, 10, 15 years from now?

Visionary Leadership #1. Visionary leaders are visionaries #2. Visionary leaders have a personal vision #3. Visionary leaders lead visionary organizations

Visionary Leadership #3. Visionary leaders lead visionary organizations.

Visionary Leadership #3. Visionary leaders lead visionary organizations. •They’re most effective in visionary organizations. •What is your ministry’s vision? •How does your personal vision align with it? •If it doesn’t-you need to find one that does!

Visionary Leadership #1. Visionary leaders are visionaries #2. Visionary leaders have a personal vision #3. Visionary leaders lead visionary organizations #4. Visionary leaders understand their times and know what to do

Visionary Leadership #4. Visionary leaders understand their times and know what to do. “And the sons of Issachar, men who understood the times, with know- ledge of what Israel should do, . . .” 1 Chron. 12:32

Visionary Leadership The Gretzky Factor Wayne Gretzky #4. Visionary leaders understand their times and know what to do. The Gretzky Factor “It’s not as important to know where the puck is now as to know where it will be.” Wayne Gretzky

Visionary Leadership #4. Visionary leaders understand their times and know what to do. “. . .before anyone can learn to lead, he must learn something about this strange new world. Indeed, anyone who does not master this mercurial context will be mastered by it. . . Leaders have the sense of where the culture is going to be, where the organization must be if it’s to grow.” Warren Bennis, On Becoming a Leader, pp. 2, 199

Visionary Leadership #4. Visionary leaders understand their times and know what to do. •Vision is conceived in the context of the times in which one lives. •Most often vision is a reaction to one’s times A deep dissatisfaction We can do better Hybel’s holy discontent

Visionary Leadership #4. Visionary leaders understand their times and know what to do. •How does one understand the times? The answer is to exegete one’s culture. And the sons of Issachar, men who understood the times, with know- ledge of what Israel should do, . . .” 1 Chron. 12:32

Visionary Leadership THE GENERAL ENVIRONMENT “Understanding the Times” THE MINISTRY ENVIRONMENT “Knowing What We to Do”

Visionary Leadership “UNDERSTANDING THE TIMES” • Social Sector • Technological Sector • Economic Sector • Political/Legal Sector • Philosophical Sector*

Visionary Leadership “UNDERSTANDING THE TIMES” Philosophical Sector “Postmodern Pilgrims”

Visionary Leadership “KNOWING WHAT TO DO” 1. In spite of growing secularization, God is still working in the world-culture. 2. His primary vehicle is the church. 3. We need to discover and understand what God is doing in these churches. 4. The way to do this is to scan the church environment.

Visionary Leadership “KNOWING WHAT TO DO” What is God doing? • International Churches • National Churches • State Churches • Area Churches • Local Churches

Visionary Leadership “KNOWING WHAT TO DO” What is God doing? • Seeker Churches • Emergent Churches • Postmodern Churches • Purpose-driven churches • House Churches • Cell Churches

Visionary Leadership “KNOWING WHAT TO DO” How do we know it’s of God? • A hermeneutic for interpreting the biblical passages for doing church • A theology of change • A theology of culture • A definition of the local church

Visionary Leadership “KNOWING WHAT TO DO” • A hermeneutic for interpreting the biblical passages for doing church -Negative vs. positive approach -Descriptive vs. prescriptive passages

Visionary Leadership “KNOWING WHAT TO DO” • A theology of change -Function -Form -Freedom

Visionary Leadership “KNOWING WHAT TO DO” • A theology of culture -Culture can be good or bad -Three responses to culture Isolation-withdraws Accommodation-embraces Contextualization-communicates

Visionary Leadership “KNOWING WHAT TO DO” • A definition of the local church A necessary gathering of professing believers in Christ who, under leadership, are organized to pursue its mission through its functions to accomplish its purpose.

Visionary Leadership Questions?