The Prophet: Vision-Casting and Direction-Setting
This is the second post in a series exploring the five leadership types from Ephesians 4: Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Shepherds, and Teachers. In the first post, we explored the Apostle - the exploring leader who establishes footholds in new territory. Now we turn to the Prophet - the visionary leader who sees potential and casts direction for what could become.
Leaders have to simultaneously speak hope and truth into their organizations. Sometimes this means calling out bad behavior, sometimes it’s reminding them of the organization’s greater purpose. Sometimes it’s projecting into the future and setting the unseen, far flung ideal.
This is a Prophet’s job, to see the unseen truths, to call out the invisible lines. The Apostle may set the pace, but the Prophet drives the heartbeat.
The Prophet of biblical times had these same jobs, to speak hope for those who are suffering, and to speak truth to those who are straying. This makes them both deeply inspiring, and also hard to have around; no one enjoys being called out on their shortcomings.
Ephesians 4 lists the Prophet as second, and the more I meditate on this, the more I think I understand why. The Apostle can tend to go off on their own, zooming away on a whim and scuttling back with a report of a shiny new goal to chase. But the Prophet holds the organization on a strategic direction, going beyond the immediate ‘fires’ to drive at the long-term possibilities.
Unglamorous and unappreciated
Perhaps the hardest thing about being a Prophet is that it is often unappreciated, unglamorous work. When half your job is calling out someone else’s bad idea, it’s hard to be the fun and likeable leader. Worse still, if you are pushing an idea that others don’t yet understand or agree with; it just looks like you pushing your idea over theirs.
The Prophets who do well then, are those who not only talk the talk, but walk the walk. They are themselves living out the ideal they are espousing, and cognizant of the current reality while espousing the desired future. Most of all, they have a team of other leaders who believe in, and believe them, and they share the same ideal.