Church Unique (eBook)

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 xvii

Foreword xix

Introduction xxi

PART ONE Recasting Vision

1. Unoriginal Sin: Neglecting Uniqueness 5

2. The Fall of Strategic Planning: Obscuring the Essence 17

3. The Iniquity of Church Growth: Caging the Kingdom 27

4. Lost Congregations: How Churches Adapt to the Vision Vacuum 40

PART TWO Clarifying Vision

5. The Good News of Clarity: Why Believe in Vision Today? 51

6. Clarity Pre-Evangelism: Softening Your Heart for Clarity 61

7. The Alpha and Omega of Clarity: The Ultimate Source of Vision 69

8. Hear the Cloud of Witnesses: Learning from Vision Legacies 75

9. Discover Your Kingdom Concept: How to Ascertain Vision 83

10. Take a Closer Look: Navigating Your Discovery Process 99

PART THREE Articulating Vision

11. See with New Eyes: Defining Your Vision Frame 111

12. Carry the Holy Orders: Mission as Missional Mandate 119

13. Feel the Common Heartbeat: Values as Missional Motives 128

14. Show Me the Way: Strategy as Missional Map 136

15. Talk the Walk: Measures as Missional Life Marks 151

16. Frame the Future: Preparing for a Vision Lifestyle 164

17. Speak with New Tongues: Articulating Vision Proper 178

PART FOUR Advancing Vision

18. Wage War Against the Status Quo: From Articulation to Traction 197

19. Meet Long in the Upper Room: The Secret of Attunement 207

20. Transform the Future: Delivering Vision Daily Parting Thoughts 215

21. Resurrect Your Uniqueness: If You Copy Someone Else's Vision, Who Will Accomplish Yours? 234

Appendix A Logos and Strategy Icon Examples 237

Appendix B Vision Path Examples 243

Notes 247

Bibliography 255

Acknowledgments 259

About the Author 261

Index 263

"[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)