A special article by Elder Pastor Saul Garcia
The Heart of a Visionary Leader
The heart of a leader, who happens to be a visionary leader, is the subject of this article. I am not writing about a person’s heart, the muscle about the size of a fist, which pumps blood through the arteries and veins of our bodies. Though vitally important, I am not writing about that heart, the heart that resides in our chest.
I am writing to you about the heart as used in the Bible. The word heart is not often used as the physical organ in the bible; it is more often used to represent personality, intellect, emotions, desires, and the will. According to Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible, the word heart in the Old Testament denoted “the centre of man’s personal activities, the source whence the principles of his action derive their origin…” the heart was the ancient’s way of speaking of who the person was.
For this article, when I mention the heart of the leader, I am speaking of the leader, their passions, and all the things they do. Their actions are a picture of who they are. When it comes to Victory Outreach we do not have to look far to find our visionary leader. His heart stands out. Scripture tells us, “By their fruits you shall know them” (Mt. 7:20). We know Pastor Sonny because we have seen the fruit of his labor. Whether fertile or hard ground he has planted the Gospel seed. For fifty plus years, throughout the four corners of earth he has plowed the fields of many nations.
The heart of the visionary leader I speak of belongs to Pastor Sonny Arguinzoni. His passion for the lost, the marginalized, depreciated, and discounted extends to all people, all colors, and all races his message to them is John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” His calling is to the unsaved; his heart is on a mission, to have as many unsaved cross the Jordan River into the Promised Land. Sonny’s calling does not end with spreading the Good News; his calling is to the saved, to those who have crossed the Jordan and are becoming warriors against the enemies of their soul.
Pastor Sonny is both an evangelist and a shepherd. As an evangelist, he has a vision for those robust cities of the world that are teeming with people going in every direction except towards the cross of Christ. As a shepherd, Pastor Sonny has a vision for the Christian man and woman who has newly joined God’s Army, who is learning to march to the beat of Jehovah’s drum. Pastor Sonny has seen gang members come into the kingdom of God wearing their worldly garb, speaking the colloquialism of the street change as they grow in Christ. He has seen many diversities of people come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ from the down and outers to the up and outers, God’s invitation to salvation is too all, regardless of their status in life, their appearance, or their circumstances. When Pastor Sonny sees them come to church, he leads them to green pastures and fresh waters, restores their dignity and he teaches them the ways of righteousness. Pastor Sonny sees the potential in them; each one has the potential to be a gift to the body of Christ. Whether it is for the one who has not met our savior or the one who has recently joined the holy ranks of the Church—Pastor Sonny loves them all.
Beyond individuals, Pastor Sonny has a vision for establishing churches in different locations. Churches that will become strong, self-sufficient, feeders, and a hub of resources. Pastor Sonny has a vision to plant churches, spiritual fortifications that will be there for our smaller churches. Pastor Sonny’s vision for our ministry is that we will always be a two-handed ministry: carrying a trowel in one hand and a sword in the other. Fighting the enemy of our soul and the secular devices of our culture with one hand, and spiritually building our lives and ministry with the other.
The heart of a visionary leader, or should I say the heart of our leader, clearly defines Pastor Sonny as a man on a mission. His heart was changed when God called him out of the angry and mean streets of New York. The heart of a visionary leader is metaphorically larger, because the leader has allowed the Spirit of God to direct their life. Pastor Sonny is living a surrendered life. He is a man with a vision, and a man with a vision is a man on a mission.
If one was to ask how big, is Pastor Sonny’s vision? The answer is found by looking at the man and his heart.