Please, let me introduce Will Mancini to you.
Will Mancini says and writes, “Clarity changes everything.” He also states, “The greatest secret for real church growth is unleashing the personal vision of your people.” Our team of 6 church planting catalysts and I are reading and discussing Mancini’s “out-of-the-box” approach to ministry.
Will Mancini earned a chemical engineering degree at Penn State and a Th.M. from Dallas Theological Seminary. Those two seemingly opposing studies created a man who reflects on “process.” I think that is what makes his discussions about ministry so interesting. He looks at ministry and its development differently than most.
Let me recommend 3 of Will Mancini’s books and his website to you for these cold, short days of winter.
In Church Unique, Mancini explains that each church has its unique 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. The framework is an easily teachable and transferable tool that helps you answer the five irreducible question of leadership:
What are we ultimately doing? (mission)
Why do we do it? (values)
How do we do it? (strategy)
When are we successful? (mission measures)
Where is God taking us? (vision proper)
Innovating Discipleship provides a simple and powerful way to innovate your disciple-making strategy. The book helps you answer the question, "How do I want my church to be different in the next two years?" The book is built around a little formula, 1 + 2 + 4 + 16 = ∞. The formula points to 1 whiteboard drawing, defined by 2 vision decisions, which creates 4 pathways to the future. These 4 pathways are "walked" using 16 super questions that lead to limitless ministry innovation.
God Dreams by Mancini was published in 2016. The book’s ultimate purpose is to add greater meaning and freedom in the busyness of church ministry. It does this by showing how to inspire others and focus your team around a specific, vivid picture of your church's next big dream. The most unique feature of this book is the 12 templates. Each template comes with biblical, historical and contemporary illustrations of dynamic vision. The templates are just one step in a guided process as you build your own visionary plan for your church.
After you have investigated Will Mancini’s writings, his blog, or his materials, please feel free to contact me and let me know what you think. I strive to share resources that will create a movement forward for your church: Tony Lynn (734) 770-0608 or at tony@bscm.org.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tony Lynn is the State Director of Missions for the Baptist State Convention of Michigan. Before coming on staff at the BSCM, Tony served as lead pastor for more than six years at Crosspoint Church in Monroe, Michigan. He and his wife, Jamie, also served with the International Mission Board in Africa and in Europe.