A friend of mine is sometimes described as more prophet than leader; he’s excellent at preaching truth in cultural context, but weak at organizational leadership. He can cast a vision and challenge us, but he can’t implement that vision.
You probably know people just like this. A lot of them are in ministry. Like prophets, they make passionate and loud calls for change. But they aren’t so good at actually leading people into making the change.
You know what the cheaper and less impressive modern day version of a prophet is? All those people who describe themselves as thought leaders.
Go on Twitter — or peruse the self-help section of Amazon — and you’ll find a lot of thought leaders. They make a lot of noise. They don’t make much difference.
Too many of us want to be prophets and thought leaders.
In truth, very few of us are qualified to be thought leaders. Even fewer are called to be prophets.
We need fewer people espousing the latest big idea, the trendy critique, or the call to change.
We need more people who roll up their sleeves, do the gritty work, and solve problems.