CANOEING THE MOUNTAINS CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP IN UNCHARTED TERRITORY TO D B O L S ING E R NOW WITH STUDY GUIDE InterVarsity Press P.O. Box 1400, Downers Grove, IL 60515-1426 ivpress.com [email protected] ©2015 by Tod Bolsinger Study Guide © 2018 by Tod Bolsinger All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from InterVarsity Press. InterVarsity Press® is the book-publishing division of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA®, a movement of students and faculty active on campus at hundreds of universities, colleges and schools of nursing in the United States of America, and a member movement of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students. For information about local and regional activities, visit intervarsity.org. Published in association with Creative Trust Literary Group, 210 Jamestown Park, Suite 200, Brentwood, TN 37027, www.creativetrust.com. Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Figure 11.1 is provided by James Osterhaus. Used with permission. While any stories in this book are true, some names and identifying information may have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals. Cover design: Cindy Kiple Interior design: Beth McGill Images: © marekuliasz/iStockphoto ISBN 978-0-8308-7387-6 (digital) ISBN 978-0-8308-4147-9 (hardcover) ISBN 978-0-8308-4126-4 (paperback) Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. Dedicated to Brooks and Ali. If I ever wonder where the “Lewis and Clark” leaders of the future will come from, I only need look across the table on a Sunday dinner when you both come home from your many adventures. Contents Part 1: Understanding Uncharted Territory 1 Seminary Didn’t Prepare Me for This . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 2 Adventure or Die . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 3 A Leadership Model for Uncharted Territory . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Part 2: The On-the-Map Skill Set 4 Competence and Credibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 5 Preparing for the Unknown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 6 Eating Strategy for Breakfast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Part 3: Leading Off the Map 7 Navigating the “Geography of Reality” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 8 My Italian Grandfather Was Killing Me . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 9 Don’t Just Do Something, Stand There . . . Then Do Something 108 10 The Mission Trumps! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 11 Take a Good Look into the Coffin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135 Part 4: Relationships and Resistance 12 Gus and Hal Go to Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153 13 Et Tu, Church? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170 Part 5: Transformation 14 How a Nursing Mother Saved America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189 15 The End of Our Exploring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204 Epilogue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219 Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225 Study Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229 Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251 Praise for Canoeing the Mountains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271 About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276 More Titles from InterVarsity Press . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277 PRAXIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278 Part One UNDERSTANDING UNCHARTED TERRITORY The World in Front of You Is Nothing Like the World Behind You