Synopses & Reviews
Praise for Church Unique"There is a screaming need today for leaders who will rise above quick fixes and generic approaches. Now, Will Mancini has brought an indispensable book to the church leader's toolbox, providing a thoughtful and creative process that will galvanize your team to unleash God's vision for your church."
—Howard Hendricks, chairman, Center for Christian Leadership;distinguished professor, Dallas Theological Seminary
"Will Mancini's vision for vision is contagious. Church Unique doesn't hold back—challenging existing paradigms, yes, but also providing new maps for churches to engage in God's mission."
—Ed Stetzer, director, LifeWay Research; coauthor, Comeback Churches and Compelled by Love
"If leaders are to steer the church through the challenges of the twenty-first century successfully, they will need help to negotiate the complexities of the spirituality, culture, history, and institutional structures that make up organizations. Will Mancini is a savvy navigator and Church Unique is an impressive blueprint for organizational renewal."
—Alan Hirsch, author, The Forgotten Ways and The Shaping of Things to Come; founding director, Forge Mission Training Network
"Will Mancini has done us all a great favor in releasing the practical ways he helps church leaders envision their own unique future. His insights provide you the coaching you need to prepare for your next ministry chapter."
—Reggie McNeal, author, The Present Future
"If you don't know the unique purpose of your church, read this book now!"
—Jim Tomberlin, founder, Third Quarter Consulting; former regional pastor, Willow Creek Community Church
"Will Mancini's love for the local church and skill for facilitating vision makes this a must-read. He is a Sherpa, not a travel agent. He has the experience; he knows the trail."
—Lance Witt, founder, Replenish Ministries; former executive pastor, Saddleback Community Church
Review
"[Mancini] gives a compelling rationale for the church to move on and accompanies this rationale with instructive support and church-wide challenge. All mission boards and vestries would benefit from the materials contained therein."
—The Rev. Jeffrey A. Mackey, The Living Church magazine (Sept. 2008)
Mancini (founder, Auxano consulting group) believes that all churches need not be megachurches like Willowcreek (IL) or Saddleback (CA). Here, he avoids a mere discussion of churches worthy of emulation and further crosses denominational lines, having himself worked alongside Baptists, Methodists, Lutherans, and others. Mancini eschews the title consultant , preferring instead vision navigator . In short, he helps leaders focus on their own unique cultures and congregational fingerprints. Once churches grasp that they are one of a kind-much like galaxies, fossils, DNA, and sandbanks-they can then, Mancini writes, unleash their full potential. The book, complete with an appendix as well as logos and icons illustrating various churches' visionary thinking, is strengthened by numerous flow charts, diagrams, graphics, and pithy quotes. It has the potential to unseat Rick Warren's The Purpose-Driven Church in popularity. Yet academic libraries may want to pass on this title for its admitted lack of supporting empirical evidence. Public libraries, on the other hand, would be wise to purchase a copy. With a foreword by inspirational giant Max Lucado.
—C. Brian Smith, Arlington Heights Memorial Lib., IL (Library Journal, May 1, 2008)
Review
"This is the most courageous book I have ever read on church life. McNeal nails the problem on the head. Be prepared to be turned upside down and shaken loose of all your old notions of what church is and should be in today's world."
— George Cladis, senior pastor, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Oklahoma City and author, Leading the Team-Based Church
"With humor and rare honesty Reggie McNeal challenges church leaders to take authentic Christianity back into the real world. He's asking the right questions to help us get back on track."
— Tommy Coomes, contemporary Christian music pioneer and record producer, artist with Franklin Graham Ministries
"Reggie McNeal throws a lifeline to church leaders who are struggling with consumer-oriented congregations wanting church for themselves. The Present Future will recharge you passion."
— Rev. Robert R. Cushman, senior pastor, Princeton Alliance Church, Plainsboro, New Jersey
"Christian leaders will find great questions being answered in this compelling and motivating work that unwraps what he calls 'the realities of the present future' in the church today."
— Kelvin Gardiner, district superintendent, Christian and Missionary Alliance.
"The momentum of God that allows visionary ministries to experience exponential growth stalls for the lack of great management (having the right systems and people in place to move to the next level). This is a must read for the young entrepreneur at the beginning of ministry or the seasoned pioneer!"
— Mike Slaughter, senior pastor, Ginghamsburg United Methodist Church, Tipp City Ohio
"I would highly recommend this book to any person interested in the current state of the Church in North America and the future of that Church. It is time that we pay attention to the realities of our ministry context and like David's 'Men of Issachar' discern the right path into the future."
— Rick E. Morrow, pastoral care coordinator, U.S. Army Special Operations Command, Ft. Bragg, North Carolina
"This book is a rare find in which McNeal lovingly challenges the church with a spirit of adventure and rediscovery."
— The Rt. Rev. Charles Jenkins, Bishop, The Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana
Synopsis
Church UniqueChurch Unique offers church leaders a way to transform their leadership and vision with missional effectiveness.
Church Unique is written by church consultant Will Mancini—an expert on a new kind of visioning process to help churches develop a stunningly unique model of ministry that leads to redemptive movement. He guides churches away from an internal focus to emphasize participation in their community and surrounding culture. In this important book, Mancini offers an approach for rethinking what it means to lead with clarity as a visionary. Mancini explains that each church has a culture that reflects its particular values, thoughts, attitudes, and actions, and shows how church leaders can unlock their church's individual DNA and unleash their congregation's one-of-a-kind potential.
Mancini explores the pitfalls churches often fall into in their attempt to grow, such as adding more programs, using outdated forms of strategic planning, or adopting the latest conference technique. He explores a new model for vision casting and church growth that has been tested with leaders in all kinds of congregations, including mainline, evangelical, small, and large. The practices and ideas outlined in Church Unique will help leaders develop missional teams, articulate unique strategies, unpack the baggage of institutionalism, and live fully into their vision.
Whether leading a megachurch or church plant, a multisite or mainline, a ministry or parachurch, Church Unique will provide inspiration as a practical guide for leading into the future. There is a better way.
Synopsis
Written by church consultant Will Mancini expert on a new kind of visioning process to help churches develop a stunningly unique model of ministry that leads to redemptive movement. He guides churches away from an internal focus to emphasize participation in their community and surrounding culture. In this important book, Mancini offers an approach for rethinking what it means to lead with clarity as a visionary. Mancini explains that each church has a culture that reflects its particular values, thoughts, attitudes, and actions and shows how church leaders can unlock their church's individual DNA and unleash their congregation's one-of-a-kind potential.
About the Author
Will Mancini, a former pastor, is the founder of Auxano, a national consulting group that works with traditional and emerging churches and ministries of all types around the country. Their mission is to navigate leaders through growth challenges with vision clarity (auxano.com).
About Leadership Network
The mission of Leadership Network identifies and connects innovative church leaders, providing them with resources in the form of new ideas, people, and tools. Contact Leadership Network at www.leadnet.org.
Table of Contents
About Leadership Network.
Foreword.
Introduction.
PART ONE: RECASTING VISION.
1. Unoriginal Sin: Neglecting Uniqueness.
2. The Fall of Strategic Planning: Obscuring the Essence.
3. The Iniquity of Church Growth: Caging the Kingdom.
4. Lost Congregations: How Churches Adapt to the Vision Vacuum.
PART TWO: CLARIFYING VISION.
5. The Good News of Clarity: Why Believe in Vision Today?.
6. Clarity Pre-Evangelism: Softening Your Heart for Clarity.
7. The Alpha and Omega of Clarity: The Ultimate Source of Vision.
8. Hear the Cloud of Witnesses: Learning from Vision Legacies.
9. Discover Your Kingdom Concept: How to Ascertain Vision.
10. Take a Closer Look: Navigating Your Discovery Process.
PART THREE: ARTICULATING VISION.
11. See with New Eyes: Defining Your Vision Frame.
12. Carry the Holy Orders: Mission as Missional Mandate.
13. Feel the Common Heartbeat: Values as Missional Motives.
14. Show Me the Way: Strategy as Missional Map.
15. Talk the Walk: Measures as Missional Life Marks.
16. Frame the Future: Preparing for a Vision Lifestyle.
17. Speak with New Tongues: Articulating Vision Proper.
PART FOUR: ADVANCING VISION.
18. Wage War Against the Status Quo: From Articulation to Traction.
19. Meet Long in the Upper Room: The Secret of Attunement.
20. Transform the Future: Delivering Vision Daily.
PARTING THOUGHTS.
21. Resurrect Your Uniqueness: If You Copy Someone Else?s Vision, Who Will Accomplish Yours?.
Appendix A Logos and Strategy Icon Examples.
Appendix B Vision Path Examples.
Notes.
Bibliography.
Acknowledgments.
About the Author.
Index.