Church Unique: How Missional Leaders Cast Vision, Capture Culture, and Create Movement

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

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.

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.

"[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)