Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
Matthew 28:18 – 19
When Jesus spoke these words, he was leaving an assignment that would be passed on to each successive generation. It was a calling to impact and transform entire nations to reflect the values and culture of His Kingdom.
Over the last several decades, God has been revealing tools to help us with this assignment. Yet, the idea of impacting an entire society can seem incredibly overwhelming. How do you develop a practical strategy for impacting an entire nation?
As with any outsized task, a framework was needed to help define the boundaries for creating change. Enter the Seven Mountains paradigm.
A Divine Appointment
In 1975, Bill Bright (Campus Crusade for Christ) and Josh McDowell (YWAM) were scheduled to meet for lunch. On the way to that meeting, God began to download an identical strategy to both men, focused on the seven mountains or kingdoms that influence society. These “mind-molders” that shape the direction of a society were defined as Family, Religion, Business, Education, Media, Government and Arts & Entertainment. The Lord instructed them that if kingdom leaders could begin to impact these areas of influence, they would capture a nation.
In recent years, Lance Wallnau, Johnny Enlow and others have picked up this mantle for training and activating kingdom leaders to rise up as influencers in each of these spheres of cultural influence.
Why Culture?
Prior to the Seven Mountains revelation, most people looked at building the kingdom through the lens of cities or regions. Geographical boundaries are important, but culture is what defines us. This is where the Seven Mountain paradigm becomes helpful.
Once we understand the key spheres of cultural influence that define a society, we can begin to formulate strategies to transform those areas back toward God’s original purpose and function. When kingdom-minded leaders arise to positions of influence, they then have a voice in shaping the culture around them.
Why is this important for you?
At Vanguard Creative, our goal is to help people better understand the kingdom purpose of their work. One of the ways we do this is by helping you to see your place within the bigger picture. No matter what you do, your work has significance to God. When your work, connects with other like-minded leaders, kingdom strategy unlocks and larger scale impact becomes a possibility.