There's been quite a bit written about the place of vision in Church leadership, but in an increasingly crowded field Will Mancin's Church Unique: how missional leaders cast vision, capture culture and create movement stands out. Here is a readable, practical guide to not only cast a compelling vision, but implementing it in a church of any size.

With a background in pastoring churches, and a current role as a church leadership consultant, Mancini is well placed to bring a varied experience and clear strategic thinking. And, maker no mistake, this book is based on solid, well thought out strategy. We don't get to the practical stuff before the foundation has been well and truly laid!

The core idea here is that every church has a totally unique purpose in God's plan, and therefore needs a unique vision that is specific to that particular church. In many ways this is a counter-cultural idea - eschewing the notion that what we need to do is copy a pre-existing blueprint from a Saddleback or a Willow Creek. It's always seemed odd to me that no matter how much the likes of Bill Hybels or Rick Warren emphasise the need for churches NOT to copy what they've done, but to apply the principles into the local context, the more churches try to copy! Mancini has noticed this, and makes a great case from the creation around us for a completely unique one-of-a-kind vision.

The dramatic irony is that what happens at the conference is the exact opposite of what propelled the host church to be effective in the first place.  Each of these leaders endured a process of self-understanding and original thinking that helped in articulating a stunningly unique model of ministry.

Alongside this insight is an appeal for simplicity over complexity. Mancini notes that the production of reams of paper with mission action plans, vision statements and strategic documents only serves to confuse and baffle people. What is needed is something clear-sighted and memorable. The understanding of this simple fact - and its application - is worth the cover price on its own!

In so many way, Church Unique allows church leaders to cut loose from a crippling guilt-laden pursuit of other peoples vision, and take a journey into finding the unique purpose of our own church. It's a remarkably liberating thought that there is something unique that only our church can do on this planet! Even if we have a megachurch at the bottom of the road (as I do in one of my parishes), there is still something that God is calling us to do that they cannot do!

Even though the latter chapters of the book tend to get a little bogged down in the minutiae of the vision process,this is a wonderful liberating and exciting book. Will Mancini has written something here that deserves thewidest possible readership, and implementation across a range of sizes and styles of church.

Paul Walker, Out of the Cocoon

Vicar of St. Cuthberts Wrose