If you take all the prophecies, Viewings and Dreams into account, Rand's role is exactly what he stated it to be - an inspirational figure that can focus everyone's efforts and organize resistance to the Dark One and the Shadow. When we take into account his speech to Bashere and Ituralde, he actually stated that it is up to humanity to save themselves by fighting as hard as they can.

Min's early Viewing seems the most poignant to me - when Rand is alone, he is easily defeated by the darkness, but when other people gather around him, driving back the darkness become possible.

He's a necessary but not sufficient condition for defeating the Shadow, and the Pattern has shown us time and again that things he considered impediments worked out for the greater good. I would rather say that he's the catalyst that allows everyone to become a savior of the world's hopes and dreams.