Abstract
H. Vinson Synan (December 1, 1934—March 15, 2020) was a key successor to David du Plessis, known as Mr. Pentecost, to Catholic and mainline Protestant leaders. Like du Plessis, Synan was a classical Pentecostal who dedicated much of his life to promoting the move of the Holy Spirit beyond the confines of his own classical Pentecostal denomination, the International Pentecostal Holiness Church. His call to this work came in 1972 at an annual Catholic Charismatic Conference held at Notre Dame University when seeing some 8,000participants singing in the Spirit, he came to the conviction that Catholics had indeed received the fullness of the Holy Spirit, or what classical Pentecostals call the baptism in the Holy Spirit. This realization was life-changing. In addition to continuing to serve as atop church administrator later, as well as a church historian and author, teacher, and academic administrator, Synan collaborated with other Charismatic leaders to hold national conferences in the 1980sand 1990s and then international conferences of Empowered21.After reviewing Synan’s diverse accomplishments, the rest of the piece analyzes the leadership style that Synan modeled, which was visionary, Spirit-led, and bridge building. Although Synan remained true to his Pentecostal upbringing, he celebrated the outpouring of the Spirit on churches and denominations far different from his own, and exhibited great humility and love in the process. Those who have benefited by his bridge building are deeply indebted to Synan’s work.
Recommended Citation
Shelton, Sally Jo
(2020)
"In Memoriam : Vinson Synan: Model of Spirit-led Leadership,"
Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology: Vol. 5:
No.
2, Article 5.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.31380/2573-6345.1170
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