It was an unexpected treat for me to climb the 239 narrow, dark and winding steps to the top of the Duke Chapel tower. Not for the faint of heart or claustrophobic, we offered the climb to the participants of our Foundations of Christian Leadership fall 2014 cohort. Almost all of the participants took part in the climb and, I’m pleased to report, all of those who went up made it safely back down, traipsing past the 50-bell carillon via the infamous, circuitous stairwell.
The view from the top offers a lovely and unusual perspective on Duke’s campus, Durham and Chapel Hill. Enjoying the cooling breeze at the top, we were able to see how wooded the area is, surrounded as we are by the vast resources of the Duke Forest. We spotted the layout of both East and West Campuses, and how they fit in the surrounding areas. The Dukes wanted the Chapel to be built on the highest ground on campus and for nothing else to be higher than the Chapel tower.
This request was a part of their desire to “keep the heart of the university listening to the heart of God.”
But our climbing adventure and the resulting geographical perspective reflected a deeper gift of perspective that we all gained from our first of two weeks together. The folks in this Foundations cohort represent two university chapels and four seminaries; the oldest church in Virginia and a large, urban church; two programs that aim to sustain and form youth; and a denominational office for international justice. Together, we were able to see more of the Kingdom of God at work than we could have separately.
We gained new viewpoints on how God is working in each of our institutions to form a cohesive field of laborers in the kingdom through working, worshipping, breaking bread and talking about our institutional and personal stories; community, identity and authority; traditioned innovation and thriving communities; the place of Sabbath in our institutional lives; and leading both the mission and morale in our organizations.
The deck of our retreat center offered another perspective for us all, with its row of rockers and a lovely view of a lush green field, wooded hills and dramatic sunrises. Drawn to these rockers for formal and informal discussions, meals and even worship, we were given another viewpoint that nature and Sabbath settings offer.
As we surveyed God’s handiwork, we were reminded that the reign of God is at the heart of our Christian leadership, and that what is Christian about Christian leadership is what theologian Greg Jones describes as its telos: “to cultivate thriving communities that bear witness to the inbreaking reign of God that Jesus announces and embodies in all that we do and are.”
It is this perspective, Jones argues, that should “shape the way we think about our lives, our institutions and the way we lead our institutions.”