The Waiting Game
What Faithful Christian Teaching Reveals About Leadership and Divine Providence
I was raised on fundamentalist evangelical Protestant theology, in which there exists a fascinating tension that, when examined through the lens of faithful Christian teaching, offers profound insights for leaders navigating modern organizational challenges. As a Catholic convert, I find it particularly illuminating to examine the questions that arise when we consider the timing, completion, and relationship between human effort and ultimate outcomes — themes that, properly understood through the Church's ancient wisdom, resonate far beyond religious circles into the very heart of leadership practice.
Specifically, a certain theological puzzle centers on a passage from Matthew 24:14, which states that “this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (emphasis mine) For many evangelical Christians, particularly those influenced by the novelties of nineteenth and twentieth-century dispensationalist thinking, this verse has been interpreted as a literal precondition for Christ's second coming. In essence, the return of our Lord depends on completing a global evangelization project that has been underway for over two millennia. Yet in our interconnected twenty-first century, with satellite technology, digital media, and extensive missionary networks, one might reasonably ask whether this task has already been accomplished. Are there truly any people left who have not heard the Christian message? And if not, what exactly are we still waiting for?
This theological conundrum, when properly understood through the faithful Christian teaching of the ages, reveals something profound about the nature of completion, the relationship between human agency and divine providence, and the dangerous allure of treating complex, ongoing missions as simple checklists to be completed. These insights, grounded in two millennia of Church wisdom, offer valuable lessons for leaders who must navigate the tension between measurable progress and meaningful transformation.
The Dispensationalist Error and Its Organizational Parallels
The evangelical interpretation of global evangelization as a precondition for Christ's return represents what the Church recognizes as a fundamental misunderstanding of eschatology — the theological study of how history will ultimately conclude. This dispensationalist approach, largely foreign to historic Christian orthodoxy, treats prophetic language with a mechanical literalism that faithful Christian teachers have consistently rejected. Traditional Christian theology, drawing on the wisdom of the Church Fathers and the guidance of the Church's teaching authority, approaches such prophetic passages with greater humility and mystery, recognizing that the Second Coming (or Parousia, as theologians term it) is known only to the Father (Matthew 24:36).
This theological correction illuminates a crucial leadership principle that extends far beyond religious contexts. The dispensationalist error parallels what organizational leaders might recognize as the “checklist mentality” — the tendency to treat complex, ongoing missions as series of discrete tasks that can be measured, tracked, and ultimately completed. Just as dispensationalists reduce the mystery of Christ's return to human metrics and calculations, leaders often reduce profound organizational transformation to quantifiable deliverables and completion percentages.
Consider how this plays out in practice. Organizations like the Joshua Project, while admirable in their dedication, exemplify this approach by maintaining detailed databases of “reached” versus “unreached” populations. Their work represents genuine commitment and has undoubtedly contributed to expanding Christian influence worldwide. However, this metric-driven approach reveals a fundamental tension between quantifiable progress and qualitative transformation. The crucial question becomes not merely whether someone has heard the message, but whether they have received it in a way that produces lasting conversion and authentic discipleship.
This distinction between exposure and genuine reception creates a perfect parallel to challenges faced by leaders in every sector. The corporate executive who measures success by the number of training programs delivered rather than the behavioral changes those programs produce makes the same category error as the dispensationalist who confuses evangelistic activity with spiritual transformation. Similarly, the educational administrator who focuses on curriculum coverage rather than student comprehension and growth falls into the same trap of mistaking activity for achievement. The checklist mentality provides the comforting illusion of progress while potentially missing the deeper work of transformation that requires both sustained human effort and something beyond mere human calculation.
Faithful Christian Wisdom on Human Agency and Divine Providence
The faithful Christian understanding of evangelization offers a more nuanced perspective that directly informs effective leadership practice. According to the Second Vatican Council's decree Ad Gentes, the Church indeed sees global evangelization as a fundamental mission, but not as a temporal precondition for Christ's return. Rather, evangelization represents the Church's ongoing response to Christ's command, carried out in cooperation with divine grace and subject to God's providential timing rather than human scheduling.
This theological insight reveals a crucial leadership principle that transforms how we understand our role in complex organizational change. Our responsibility is not to control ultimate outcomes but to faithfully execute our duties within larger systems and timelines we cannot fully comprehend or control. Saint Augustine's profound insight that God exists outside of time reminds us that what appears to be divine “delay” is not procrastination but mercy — additional opportunity for repentance and salvation, as Saint Peter teaches us (2 Peter 3:9). What seems like inefficiency from our temporal perspective reflects perfect timing from the perspective of eternity.
The faithful Christian perspective thus reframes the entire question in ways that have immediate practical implications for leadership. We are not waiting for Christ so much as we are being prepared by Him through the very process of faithful service. This represents a fundamental shift from outcome-based to process-based thinking that has profound implications for resilient leadership. Rather than asking “When will we be done?” the leader informed by faithful Christian wisdom asks “How can we remain faithful to our mission while cooperating with grace in whatever circumstances we find ourselves?”
The Church's teaching on the relationship between human effort and divine providence offers particular insight here. Traditional Christian theology maintains that while human cooperation with grace is absolutely essential, ultimate outcomes remain within God's sovereignty. This does not diminish the importance of human effort but rather places it within a broader context of humility and trust in divine providence. The leader who understands this principle can work with full dedication while maintaining the detachment from results that paradoxically makes for greater effectiveness.
The Fullness of the Gentiles and Organizational Transformation
Saint Paul's teaching about waiting for “the fullness of the Gentiles to come in” (Romans 11:25) provides another crucial insight for leaders grappling with the timing of organizational transformation. The Apostle indicates that this fullness is not a number we can count but something known to God alone. The Church has consistently taught that we cannot predict or hasten the Second Coming through human calculation or effort, focusing instead on remaining prepared at all times through faithful service.
This Pauline wisdom translates directly into leadership practice in ways that illuminate why so many organizational change efforts fail. The most important organizational transformations — genuine culture change, authentic leadership development, sustainable business model innovation — operate according to principles that transcend simple metrics. Like the fullness of the Gentiles, these transformations have a qualitative dimension that cannot be reduced to quantitative measures alone.
Consider the law firm seeking to transform its culture from one of mere profitability to one of genuine service and professional excellence. The managing partner who focuses solely on billable hour targets and client satisfaction surveys may miss the deeper work of formation that produces attorneys who embody the virtue of justice in their practice. True transformation requires the patient cultivation of character, the development of professional virtues, and the creation of an environment where legal professionals can pursue excellence in service to authentic human flourishing. This deeper work operates according to principles that cannot be rushed or forced, much like the mysterious process by which the fullness of the Gentiles comes to fruition.
Similarly, the business leader who measures diversity efforts through demographic statistics alone may fail to create the inclusive environment that allows all employees to flourish according to their God-given dignity. Authentic inclusion requires the formation of hearts and minds, the development of genuine respect for human persons, and the patient cultivation of environments where diverse perspectives can contribute to the common good. These outcomes emerge through processes that combine human effort with something beyond mere human planning.
The faithful Christian understanding of human formation provides a framework for this deeper work. Just as the Church recognizes that true conversion involves not merely intellectual assent but the ongoing transformation of the whole person through grace, effective leadership recognizes that organizational change requires the formation of character, the development of virtue, and the creation of environments where human persons can pursue their ultimate purpose in service to others.
The Mercy of Divine Timing and Strategic Patience
Perhaps the most profound leadership insight from faithful Christian teaching on the Second Coming lies in understanding apparent delay as an expression of divine mercy rather than human failure. The Church has consistently taught that God's apparent delay in bringing history to its consummation reflects His desire that none should perish but that all should come to repentance. This patience of God, as Saint Peter calls it, becomes a model for leadership patience grounded in love for those we serve rather than mere strategic calculation.
This perspective offers a powerful reframe for leaders facing extended timelines or seemingly stalled initiatives. The project that takes longer than expected, the cultural change that unfolds over years rather than months, the market transformation that occurs incrementally rather than dramatically — these represent opportunities for deeper preparation and more sustainable outcomes rather than indicators of failure or inefficiency.
Strategic patience becomes not passive waiting but active preparation informed by theological hope. The leader who embraces this faithful Christian understanding uses extended timelines to build stronger foundations, develop more robust systems, and create more inclusive processes. They recognize that premature completion often leads to superficial results that fail to withstand later challenges, while patient cultivation of virtue and authentic transformation creates lasting change that can endure through various circumstances.
The saints provide numerous examples of this principle in action across different contexts and challenges. Saint Benedict's patient cultivation of monastic life preserved Western civilization through the Dark Ages, not through dramatic interventions but through the steady formation of communities dedicated to prayer, work, and learning. Saint John Paul II's long-term strategy of moral and spiritual renewal helped topple communist regimes without violence, demonstrating how patient persistence in truth-telling can achieve what force cannot accomplish. These leaders understood that the most important work operates according to divine timing rather than human impatience, and they aligned their efforts with this deeper rhythm.
Contemplative Leadership and the Ignatian Approach
The faithful Christian understanding of evangelization and eschatology ultimately teaches us about the proper relationship between human agency and divine providence in ways that directly inform leadership practice. Faithful Christian leaders understand that their role is not to control final results but to faithfully execute their responsibilities in cooperation with grace, trusting in divine providence for ultimate outcomes while maintaining full engagement with immediate duties.
This requires what we might call a contemplative approach to leadership—one that maintains both urgency and patience in creative tension, measures progress without becoming enslaved to metrics, and maintains hope for ultimate outcomes while focusing energy on immediate responsibilities. The faithful Christian leader operates with what Saint Ignatius of Loyola called “indifference” — not lack of care or engagement, but detachment from outcomes that allows for greater effectiveness in means. (Some might relate, or equate, this to “equanimity”.) This indifference enables leaders to make decisions based on principle rather than fear, to take necessary risks without being paralyzed by uncertainty, and to maintain perspective during both success and failure.
This contemplative dimension of leadership recognizes that the most important work often occurs in ways that cannot be directly measured or controlled. The formation of character, the development of virtue, the creation of authentic community — these represent the deepest goals of faithful Christian leadership, goals that require both sustained human effort and divine grace to accomplish. The leader who understands this can work with full dedication while maintaining the freedom that comes from trusting ultimate outcomes to divine providence.
The theological virtue of hope becomes particularly important in this context. Faithful Christian leaders operate with confidence not in their own abilities but in God's providence, allowing them to take necessary risks, endure temporary setbacks, and maintain long-term perspective even in the face of immediate challenges. This hope is not wishful thinking but theological certainty grounded in God's faithfulness to His promises throughout history. It enables leaders to persist through difficulties that might overwhelm those who rely solely on human resources and calculations.
The Ongoing Mission of Authentic Leadership
The question of whether the world has been fully evangelized ultimately misses the point, just as the question of whether an organization has achieved its ultimate goals often misses the deeper reality of ongoing development and growth. From a faithful Christian perspective, the mission is not a destination to be reached but a direction to be maintained. The work is not a project to be completed but a responsibility to be faithfully executed in cooperation with divine grace, generation after generation.
This understanding transforms how leaders approach their responsibilities. Rather than seeking to complete their work, they seek to contribute faithfully to ongoing processes that extend far beyond their individual tenure. The Church's consistent emphasis on the dignity of the human person, the importance of the common good, and the need for authentic human development offers a framework for leadership that transcends mere organizational effectiveness. The faithful Christian leader seeks not merely to achieve business objectives but to create environments where all persons can flourish according to their God-given dignity and purpose.
This vision of leadership as a form of service to human flourishing transforms how we understand both success and failure. Setbacks become opportunities for growth in virtue, delays become occasions for deeper preparation, and obstacles become means of building greater resilience grounded in trust in divine providence. The faithful Christian leader maintains what Saint Thérèse of Lisieux called “confidence and abandonment” — complete trust in God's goodness combined with faithful execution of immediate responsibilities.
This approach enables leaders to maintain hope and effectiveness even when facing challenges that exceed their immediate capacity to solve. They understand that their contribution to larger processes of transformation may not be fully visible within their lifetime, but they persist in faithful service because they trust in the ultimate meaningfulness of their efforts within God's providential plan.
The Wisdom of the Waiting Game
For leaders navigating their own version of the waiting game — whether building organizational culture, developing human capital, or creating systemic change — faithful Christian teaching offers both challenge and comfort. The challenge lies in maintaining dedication to long-term missions whose completion may never be fully realized within our lifetimes. The comfort lies in recognizing that our role is not to achieve final victory but to remain faithful to the process of ongoing transformation in cooperation with divine grace.
The Church's two-thousand-year perspective on evangelization provides a model for this patient persistence. Despite persecution, internal corruption, cultural upheaval, and countless other challenges, the Church has maintained its mission not through human calculation but through faithful response to divine calling. This example instructs leaders that the most important work often occurs across generations, requiring a perspective that transcends immediate results while maintaining full engagement with present responsibilities.
The waiting game, properly understood, is not passive endurance but active preparation for whatever comes next, carried out in cooperation with divine grace. It requires the cultivation of virtues that enable sustained effort without the guarantee of immediate success. It demands the development of hope that can endure through apparent defeats and delays. Most importantly, it calls for the kind of faithful service that finds meaning in the process itself rather than only in measurable outcomes.
In the end, the most resilient leaders are those who can hold both urgency and patience in creative tension, who can measure progress without becoming enslaved to metrics, and who can maintain hope for ultimate outcomes while focusing their energy on immediate responsibilities. They understand that true leadership is not about reaching the end of the journey but about how we conduct ourselves along the way, serving others with the love of Christ and trusting in His providence for ultimate outcomes. This is perhaps the greatest lesson of all: that the waiting game reveals the true nature of leadership as a form of faithful service that participates in God's ongoing work of transformation in the world.