Just a short review of Will Mancini’s Church Unique, How Missional Leaders Cast Vision, Capture Culture, and Create Movement (also available on Amazon's Kindle device). I have to say I have read quite a few titles in the genre of church vision and management. While Mancini hits a lot of the common themes, his book does have a unique perspective in emphasizing the unique nature of each church. He wisely casts off any attempt at laying out specific tactics for a successful growing church. From this perspective, Will Mancini is the anti-consultant. I often make fun of consultants from my radio days. Company execs would spend outrageous amounts of money to bring in a consultant team to change everything because that team had just taken a similar station from #5 in the market to #1. Of course, the market they had succeeded in was Cleveland and we were in Allentown. It never worked because the consultants had not taken into account what made Allentown unique and what made our station unique. Imagine how much more powerful this issue is when we are talking, not about radio stations, but unique outposts of the mission of Jesus Christ.

Will Mancini does offer a plan, but it a plan to understand a church’s own unique calling and how to clarify and articulate a vision around that.

The book is worth reading even if you are not considering entering into a process of reenvisioning you church. It is filled with great language and plenty of insight into the process of change management including thoughts on those barriers that keep us from becoming what God would have us become.

I got to meet Will Mancini while I was reading the book. It became clear during our brief lunch that this book itself is only a snap shop of his own vision and his track record of helping churches is pretty impressive. If you have read the book or are familiar with the author’s work, you comments are welcome.

Peace,

will  (http://willubeadisciple.blogspot.com/)