Visual Leadership; The Church Leader As ImageSmith

Weber, Rob. Visual Leadership; The Church Leader As ImageSmith. Abingdon Press, Nashville, 2002. price-24.50. pp.176. Available at Leadership Centre. 800-804-0777.
Rob Weber- senior pastor and founder of Grace Community Church in Shreveport, Lousiana.

Introduction.
Some history is reviewed concerning events and ideologies that have brought us to where we are at in communication of the gospel. The title and subtitle of the book communicate a concept that leadership must change.

Ch. 1. Weaver Woman, Crazy Priest, and the Voice of God.
An ImageSmith is a smith (artisan) who uses image to create,e.g. a person using copper is a copper smith. Reality is communicate through story. In our culture of multimedia we struggle with an information overload. The significance of the ImageSmith in relating spiritual truth has increased and continues to increase. "One of the most important tasks of a church leader today is to help God’s people find shared memory, community, purpose, and direction."31. God can speak to us through ordinary things. e.g. the story of the shell, 32-34. Effective leadership will not happen without the recognition of the importance of story.
Ch.2. Surveying the Landscape. The author uses the story of Ezekiel in Babylon to draw lessons that apply to our culture and Christian leadership . Ezekiel lived in a culture of huge change.
Ch. 3. Shattered Shards, and the Healing Power of Memory and Story. Ezekiel’s story is continued with his vision of dry bones. Current stories are related to illustrate how leaders were motivated and how positive change happened.. Story was key in these changes. Tradition shouldn’t become a casualty of change.
Ch. 4. Painting the Sky First: Scripture, (The next few chapters use the analogy of painting.) In painting, the sky is the backdrop to the scene and is done first. Story-telling, like painting, has many sources, tools, techniques, and methods. Scripture is God’s backdrop to story. Therefore we need to know Scripture. Some correct uses of Scripture are discussed. We must make sure "that we are shaped by Scripture rather than shape Scripture to our own ends". 67. The themes of creation and redemption are visited as sources of powerful information.
Ch. 5. Silhouetting the Horizon: Tradition There has always been a tension between tradition and new experiences. "Living tradition is a powerful thing." 91. Out of it can arise powerful stories that become part of ongoing effective change.
Ch. 6. Painting With Perspective: Reason Reason and Scripture are not enemies. "Reason interprets the story." 105.
Ch. 7. Entering the Artwork: Experience. Understanding is incomplete without experience. People want to experience God. Believers testify about a "personal experience of saving faith". 111. The need for spiritual experience is constant. That which produces spiritual experience is anything but constant. Changing culture is one of the impacting variables. Experience can be overemphasized. "Sacraments, patterned prayer, and the rhythm of worship provide regular access to the sustaining experience of God’s presence." 121.
Ch. 8 Seeing Into Being. Anything worthwhile begins with a vision. A brief account is given of the beginning and development of the church at Shreveport.
Ch. 9. Changing the Method, Changing the Mind. When Ezekiel was ordered to communicate through visuals he was using image, i.e. clay tablet, drawing, iron pan, etc. It was effective, With all the advances in communication image has remained powerful.
Ch. 10. Leading by Layering with Multiple Tools and Techniques. Digital media (communication) is cross generation. The author refers to his lab top and his cameras ,digital video and still, as basic equipment in his backpack. With creativity, media and image can be utilizes without great expense or expertise.
Ch. 11. Storydwellers and Storytellers. Stories are not only told they are experinced. The storyteller becomes the storydweller. Each person has their own story (testimony) to tell of their spiritual journey and in so doing they become a living message from God. There is a bottom line in this storydwelling/ storytelling focus. ImageSmiths "help us as a community to see into God’s story and go where God is leading" 170.

Comment. There are many helpful, profound ideas presented in this book about being a visual leader or as the author describes them, ImageSmiths. I was impressed with the author himself. He is a person I would like to get to know. He is a "dream releaser". He takes communication to a new level in a culture that needs to hear the gospel in a relevant way.