Leadership Styles: Prophet, Priest, & King

Introduction

A little while ago I approached Ian with the idea of spending some time looking at leadership styles.

and it seemed logical to start our time together looking at this

Essentially, I’d like to spend sometime thinking about something called ‘Tripersectival Leadership’ (catchy, I know)

Or the ‘Prophet, Priest, King Model

I’d like us to begin by thinking about three questions very briefly.

What is it?

Why do we need it?

How should we use it?

Then I’d like us to spend a bit of time applying it to ourselves and each other.

Where does it come from?

So what is Triperspectival leadership? Let me break it into two parts.

What is trisperpectivalism?

Firstly what is trisperpectivalism?

In a nutshell, this leadership model draws on the incredible work of theologians John Frame and Vern Poythress.

Who together developed a Christian approach to knowing called triperspectivalism.

triperspectivalism basically argues that there are three main ways of knowing or three kinds of knowledge

Normative - which looks for norms, principles, presidents, etc.

For Christians the ultimate source of normative insight is Scripture.

But things like statute law, science, maths, etc. also falls into this category.

When consider an orange - Normative perspective is seeking to answers questions like

What is it? How can it be classified?

Second, there is situational perspective

Situational knowledge looks for examples, events, comparisons, analogies, actions, applications.

For Christians, we might look to God’s interactions with humanity in the history of redemption

but history in general and the social-sciences also

When consider an orange - Situational perspective is seeking to answers questions like

What is its purpose? How do I use it?

Thirdly, there is Existential perspective

What is it? How can it be classified?

Situational knowledge is personal and looks for experiential knowledge, motivations, and needs

For Christians, we might look to Christian virtues, or examples from biblical history (Jesus, Paul, David, etc.)

but also ethics, the arts, literature, etc.

When consider an orange - existential perspective is seeking to answers questions like

What is it like? What does it need?

The point of this method is to get us to understand that in order to get the fullest understanding and appreciation for something we need to look at it from different angles.

And when we do that we learn new things about it.

Similar to the way a purpose might notice something different about building or sculpture or artwork by looking at from different directions.

One of John Frame’s main points about this method is that since we are not God we are not all knowing.

Only God sees all of the perspectives all of the time, perfectly.

We on the other hand are finite, we might naturally see one made two perspectives natural, but there is always one we have to work doubly hard to see.

I realise that I’ve attempted to summarise the life work of two men far smarter than I in two minutes. Did that makes sense?

What is it?

How does this relate to leadership?

When John Frame put all this together in his Theology of Lordship series some chaps in the states began using this as away to approach leadership in the church.

And so the prophet priest kind model was born.

The model breaks down like this

Prophet

Those who are prophet-like focus on the normative perspective.

They focus scripture, knowledge, rules, and principles

Prophets are teachers, and theologians

They are primarily asking the questions

What does scripture say? What do people need to know? It is true? Is it right?

Potential ministry pitfalls:

Thinking that people’s problems are primarily knowledge based.

“If you just knew more X… then every would be fine.”

Arrogant with knowledge

Poor at listening to others (they think they are always right!)

King

Those who are king-like focus on the situational perspective.

They focus what a strategies, actions, events, and outcomes

Kings are mangers, organisers, etc.

They are primarily asking the questions

What needs to happen? What actions need to be taken? What are the inputs/outputs? Are they there? What resources are needed? How are they being used?

Potential ministry pitfalls:

Thinking that people’s problems are primarily action based.

“If you just did more Y… then every thing would be fine.”

Prone to legalism and/or pragmatism

lack of appreciation for systems and/or norms (post-modern)

Often focuses on the negatives

Priest

Those who are priest-like focus on the existential perspective.

They focus what a people, character, needs, and motives

Priests are pastoral carers, people-workers, counsellors

They are primarily asking the questions

What do people need? What do they need to become? What should be motivating them? How are they being cared for? How do they feel?

Potential ministry pitfalls:

Thinking that people’s problems are primarily feeling based.

“If you just felt more z… then every thing would be fine.”

Worry about hurting others feelings (cowardice)

lack of appreciation for systems and/or norms (post-modern)

Prone to legalism and/or pragmatism

Can be manipulative and controlling

You might hear that list and think, well none of those sound much like me

But remember you have two you are strong in and one you are weak in

So it may only be when you consider them together that you see yourself.

For example, I see approach things from the priest-prophet perspective.

So I am always asking the questions: What do people need? How will God’s word meet that need?

I don’t naturally ask the king -like question: Are our structures achieving that need?

Why do we need it

So why do we need it?

four reasons

Well a personality profile is asking the questions: What is this person like? (Existential), and how will they act in a given situation (Situational)

It humbles us.

John Frame said, “The general concept is simply that because we are not God, because we are finite, not infinite, we cannot know everything at a glance, and therefore our knowledge is limited to one perspective or another. God knows absolutely everything, because he planned everything, made everything, and determines what happens in the world he made. So we describe him as omniscient. One interesting implication of God’s omniscience is that he not only knows all the facts about himself and the world; he also knows how everything appears from every possible perspective.…But we are different. We are finite, and our knowledge is finite. I can only know the world from the limited perspective of my own body and mind. The effects of this finitude, and even more of sin, should caution us against cocksureness in our claims to knowledge.”

team types on the other hand is asking: Who must I have in my team (normative)? How will they act in a given situation (situational)

When we understand the perspective or perspectives we operate from we realise that there is a huge chunk of knowledge we cannot naturally see.

Like looking at a pyramid, we might be able to see one, maybe to sides from where we are standing, but if we want to see all of the pyramid we need to be humble enough to seek out another vantage point.

It unites us

This humility leads to greater unity in our leadership team. I can’t know everything, so I need the insights of you three to help support m, weaknesses and provide the gaps in my knowledge. And vice versa. Division comes when we claim to have the market on knowledge cornered - which as we’ve seen is a claim that only God can make.

Each of these has a blind spot and are heavy of making sure that people work together to achive

It strengths us

…But we are different. We are finite, and our knowledge is finite. I can only know the world from the limited perspective of my own body and mind. The effects of this finitude, and even more of sin, should caution us against cocksureness in our claims to knowledge.”

This humble unity also strengths us. The more we see things from other vantage points of others the better decisions we will make, the better outcomes we’ll achieve, the more effectively the church will be lead.

I am convinced that in 9/10 of our disagreements as elders we end up arguing over something that we all agree on. But fail to see that the other is approaching the from a different perspective.

This model of leadership perspectives also makes it easier to identify how

It encourages us

As we work better together and serve God and his people more effectively we are encouraged by things going well.

Where are we

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They discovered that church leaders tended to have two perspectives that they naturally approached things from, a third that they are naturally blind to.

Not surprising really, one of John Frame’s main points about this method is that since we are not God we are not all knowing.

Only God sees all of the perspectives all of the time, perfectly.

We on the other hand are finite, we might naturally see one made two perspectives natural, but there is always one we have to work doubly hard to see.