Follow Forward with Vision
Adapted from a conversation with Carolyne A. Opinde Dr.h.c., founder and CEO of The NGO Whisperer, on the Follow Forward podcast.*
Vision is a critical part of leadership. However, I do not believe that vision is something we invent or manufacture. Rather, it is something God reveals progressively as we seek to follow him in faithful obedience.
Carolyne Opinde’s life personifies this. If you meet her now, she is an astute and assured woman of vision. However, her story reveals that God disclosed his vision and purpose to her over time, and through varied circumstances and experiences.
Carolyne’s life is shaped by a deep sense of being led by God, often in ways she did not expect.
“Every one of my decisions has really been rooted in prayer,”
From her early years in Kenya, where her parents modelled radical hospitality and generosity, to her international leadership journey, Carolyne has learned that vision begins with seeking God’s direction, and not necessarily with strategic planning. Or rather, that seeking God and discerning his will is foundational to effective strategic planning.
Vision Begins in Prayer
Growing up in a home overflowing with people in need, she absorbed a lived theology of compassion and service.
“Our home was a home that hosted so many people… I saw family as people who live around you, people you care for,” she shared.
Those early experiences shaped her understanding of community and leadership and planted seeds of the vision she carries today. But what marked her most was her father’s simple, consistent spiritual instruction.
“My dad always wrote on everything: ‘Put Jesus first.’ And he would say: Pray, pray, pray.”
That grounding became the foundation of her leadership calling.
“Sometimes I would fast and say, ‘God, speak to me.’ And God would speak to me in dreams or ideas. That’s how God works.”
This posture of listening has shaped every major transition in her life. This pursuit of God’s calling took her into multiple NGOs and led her to move from Nairobi to Cape Town. Through these varied experiences, God was germinating a vision that would soon materialise.
Becoming the NGO Whisperer
When she sensed God leading her into consulting so she could support smaller NGOs, she didn’t pursue it as an ambition. Instead, she followed the vision God had given her. Even the name of her organisation was a moment of revelation. In a coaching session, she unexpectedly found herself declaring through tears:
“I am the NGO Whisperer. I help nonprofits raise funds so they can successfully impact people’s lives. [although] I couldn’t remember what I said — someone had to play it back to me.”
For Carolyne, this is what visionary leadership looks like: staying close enough to God so that when He speaks, through the bible, a dream, an idea, or a person, then you are ready to respond. This reminds me of a recent post I wrote about Ananias, who God instructed to pray for the recently converted Saul (before he became Paul). You can read it here on the BiblicalLeadership.com website.
Pursuing Excellence
As an African leader now living and working in the UK, Carolyne has great insights for emerging leaders. In particular, she challenges emerging leaders to pursue excellence.
“When you are excellent in your ways, opportunities open. People follow excellence.”
But excellence alone isn’t enough. Leaders must also reflect Christ in the way they treat others. She spoke about creating “positive moments of truth,” those first encounters where people either see authenticity or disappointment.
“The world is hungry for anything that is excellent and real,” she said. “If we want to change our communities, people must taste and see the love of Jesus through us.”
Seek Him for Yourself
Carolyne’s story captures the heart of what I mean by the phrase ‘Follow Forward‘:
- We follow those who follow Christ.
- We listen for God’s direction and his vision for us.
- We walk into the future with courage and obedience.
- We trust God to direct us as we pursue the vision.
- And we steward the vision with excellence.
In so doing, we are following the example of Carolyne, who has thoroughly tested God in this way.
“God truly knows what’s in store for you. Seek Him for yourself.”
When we follow forward with God-inspired vision, we step into a future far greater, wiser, and more fruitful than anything we could design ourselves.
What vision do you sense God beginning to reveal to you in this season, and what step of obedience might He be inviting you to take next?
Which practices (prayer, fasting, reflection, mentorship) do you need to prioritise to help you hear God’s voice and align your vision with His purposes?
One of my favourite passages is Proverbs 4:20-27, which perfectly underlines all the lessons we’ve considered above:
My son, pay attention to what I say;
turn your ear to my words.
Do not let them out of your sight,
keep them within your heart;
for they are life to those who find them
and health to one’s whole body.
Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from it.
Keep your mouth free of perversity;
keep corrupt talk far from your lips.
Let your eyes look straight ahead;
fix your gaze directly before you.
Give careful thought to the[c] paths for your feet
and be steadfast in all your ways.
Do not turn to the right or the left;
keep your foot from evil.
*To find out more about the Follow Forward podcast, please click here.
To listen to Carolyne’s interview, click on your preferred podcast channel: YouTube, Apple, Spotify.
