A Sense of Insurgency
Communicating vision
I recently heard the DailyWire “Townhall” podcast and found the presentation to be very compelling. I am not referring to their political views. Rather, I want to highlight how Jeremy Boering presents their mission. It is pertinent to ministry leaders, because the DailyWire is not building widgets or tech. Rather, they are trying to change culture. I see fallen culture as the primary competition for the church (we should never be competing against other ministries). The DailyWire sees their primary mission as culture change. Thus, I find Boering’s example to be helpful for ministry leaders.
Boering frames the work of the DailyWire as an insurgency. They are overthrowing the status quo, the hegemonic forces that press against them. Despite the many obstacles presented to them, this team has overcome and are fighting the good fight. Key to good vision casting is framing the challenge as one of insurgency. In 1984, Apple Computer released one of the best ads in business history. It showed a monochrome audience, thoughtlessly staring forward at huge screen. It was dystopian and reminiscent of the book, 1984, by Orwell. A woman runs into the hall and hurls a hammer at the screen just as the speaker declares, “We will prevail!” She destroys the status quo. The year here is important, both because of the book, but also because of the political environment. The collapse of the Soviet Union was at hand. Reagan was agitating for freedom in the Soviet bloc. Overthrow was “in the air.” This ad used both dystopian and Cold War themes from the culture to make its point that the Macintosh computer would liberate technology and make it accessible to all.
This sort of insurgency is powerful for creating movements, rethinking commonly held views, and spurring followers on to big things. As you listen to Boering, you will hear the desire to overthrow the status quo. Here are just a few quotes among many:
Despite the success of DailyWire, it is “not even a drop in the bucket” compared to the “hegemony of the woke giant(s).”
“To compete we have to grow ten times, and then ten times again.”
“The people in this room can change the world.”
“We are doing something no one else has done before.”
What happens when a team feels that they are a part of an insurgency? They develop stronger ties with each other as they battle against those arrayed against them. They work harder, feeling the window of opportunity being closed before them by opposing forces. They focus on mission instead of internecine issues. They become goal oriented.
The question I have for leaders is this: How are you creating a sense of insurgency in your leadership? Does your mission drive a sense of insurgency?