Will Mancini

A few days ago I posted some church leaders take-aways from the Kony 2012, Invisible Children video, 70 Million Views in 7 Days: A Vision Analysis. I also mentioned  the opportunity to see this video through The Six Elements. (Grab the free tool on the previous post.)  Here are just a few observations of how the video weaves through The Six.

And remember… Scheudule 45 minutes in your staff meeting in the next 2 weeks to watch the video and discuss this as a team (30 to watch it and 15 to discuss). Have each team member right down a few phrases for each of The Six Elements.

Common Denominator

• The video opens with a child being born and a statement about how we all come into the world. The framework of a Father son relationship is leveraged for all the viewers.
• Use of his own child’s ability to understand the story’s gravity brings stunning clarity and universality to the cause
• Justice as a universal concept and basic human drive is established
• The use of social media, great design and simple things like bracelets create a community identity and emotional bond to the cause
• The inclusion of Jacob and his story, makes the cause personal and relatable and sets up the “Jacob thread”

Burning Platform

• The repetition of child abduction and reality of being transformed into murders.  The emotional connection made by referencing his own son, “If my son was abducted and forced to murder, it would immediately make the news.”
• The emphasis on “invisibility” of the children as the dominant idea to drive the movement. The emotional connection is deepened by the political irony that initially the US turned a blind eye, because there was no self interest on the basis of self-defense or financial gain.
• The use of the international criminal list to strengthen the credibility of the problem and Invisible Children’s cause. The emotional connection is heightened by the use of Hitler as a comparable figure to Kony.
• Jacob Thread: Hearing Jacob talk about wanting to die. Watching Jacob cry and long to be with his dead brother paints a picture of pure hopelessness.

Golden tomorrow

• The video clip of an abducted child returning to their parents.
• The idea that common people can make a difference in a world that is connected.  A better world is one in which the worst bad guy is really captured. This is heightened by the simplicity of the action kit. It’s easy and fun to be a part of the solution.
• The better world that we currently live in as Americans is continually seen throughout the clip. The better world is one where this basic freedom is extended naturally by those who enjoy it. The better world is one where we are “responsibly free” not “selfishly free.”
• The dominant story of Jacob helps us feel the better world. What will happen to all of the other like Jacob?

Wake-up Call

• The reference to the fact that during other times in human history we could not have acted like we can now. The reference to how easy it is to forget the ongoing problem by politicians after the first 100 soldiers were sent.
• The use of 2012 and gutsy claim that it must be over by December 31^st. Strengthening this punch of this end date is the reference to the years of battle undertaken.
• The immediate action step of “Covering the Night”  on April 20^th The amazingly simple action steps: wearing a bracelet, sharing a poster, etc.
• The promise to Joseph that something will be done about the problem.

Mind Stretch

• The multiple layers of evil – child abduction, sex slavery, arming children for war, forcing children to kill their parents, the pure selfishness of Kony. The ironic idea that by making him famous we will stop him.
• The idea that everyday people can make a such a dramatic difference. The use of the pyramid logo to demonstrate the big idea that the people can set the agenda for justice to reign rather than pure political influence and financial motivation alone.
• The idea that 20 culture makers and 12 policy makers all feel passionate and have been recruited in advance
• The use of Joseph to show how everyone is the same. We all want to have a home and be with our family. But based on where we are born, with no choice of our own, can lead to dramatically different outcomes.

God Smile

• The video does not reference God.  Christian leaders should note how humanistic some of our most God-like causes can be. Is the Gospel being integrated into the Invisible Children work and chase for Kony? I hope so. If not, the movement will have remedied a short-term hell unaware of the eternal one. Thanks be to God for the Great Remedy, Jesus.

On a side note: I am aware of the both the controversy and unfortunate incident surrounding the leader of this movement in the last few days. (Please pray for Jason Russell.) Yet, the amazing response to this video alone warrants our attention as ministry leaders, vision-castors and story tellers. This video has reached 100 million viewers faster than any other in internet history.

If you have not seen the 30-minute Kony 2012 video yet from Invisible Children, I encourage you to do so. It’s one of the best vision videos you will ever see.

My teenage kids saw it first, as the viral video reached their high school friends in a hurricane-force social media blitz. While in the airport for spring break, Romina and I viewed the story on my iPhone, while my kids watched a second time. Although I know of Invisible Children, I have now been infected with an amazingly clear and compelling one-year milestone. And I am only one of  seventy million others who watched this media in its debut week on Youtube alone.

My analysis will come in two parts. First I want to make some general observations for church leaders. Second, in a post tomorrow, I will share my observations on the Six Elements of Vision I use with ministry leaders everywhere I go. I strongly encourage you to use the Vision Casting Spider Diagram as a team and watch the video. Take careful note on how each of the Six Elements are utilized in Kony 2012. Again, I will share my observations on this tomorrow. If you have not seen this stuff from my book Church Unique, you can download it here: Articulating Vision Proper – 6 Elements of Compelling Vision

WHAT CAN CHURCH LEADERS LEARN?

1) There are no overnight success stories. The amazing response to this story is connected to a consistent ten year journey of compassion and action.

2) Your influence is directly related to your ability to tell your story.

3) Social media removes walls blocking the communication of and emotional connection to your vision like never before.

4) The ability to clarify a simple, easy and obvious action step is a hallmark of a great vision casting experience.

5) Vision was meant to be communicated visually. Not only the use of video, but the integration of great design and the creative use of symbol keeps the vision alive in the minds eye and makes the big idea more sharable.

As you digest this vision casting experience, ponder the question:

What are you committed to doing in the next year and what would your 30 minute video look like?

Are you going to be satisfied with a future for ministry that is more of the same?

Very few pastors break from norm of mediocre church ministry. But I am convinced it doesn’t have to be that way.

Last fall I was honored to participate in Leadership Network’s roll-out of their Leadia Experience. My conribution was FLUX: Four Paths to the Future. FLUX provides a guide for thinking, adapting, and innovating in order to discover new possibilities for your church. It starts with one whiteboard drawing and gives you a matrix for assessing and planning your future.

I encourage you to engage with the full experience. But for now, I challenge you to rethink and reimagine your ministry with this post mini-series  from FLUX.

Do not quench your inspiration and your imagination, do not become the slave of your model - Vincent Van Gogh

Every once in while, I find a new feature on my Mac or iPhone, because I discover a default switch or button that I didn’t know existed. In fact there is a specific definition for this:

Default: a selection automatically used by a computer program in the absence of a choice made by the user

Many times it’s no big deal, but sometimes I want to kick myself for missing out on some cool functionality. I didn’t know the default switch even existed!

After a decade of daily conversations about vision with ministry teams, I have discovered a hidden vision switch with a default position in the minds of church leaders. But this default setting is not just about missing out on a nifty feature. It’s about a fundamental mode of thinking that’s limiting us.

Let me explain.

One question I always enjoy asking church leaders is “How do you want your church to be different two years from now?”

What kind of answers do I get?

The most common two-word response is “more people.” Of course that expresses itself in many forms:

• Increased worship
• More growth
• Higher attendance
• Additional services
• Reaching more people
• Reversing decline

Think about that for a minute. “How do you want your church to be different in two years?” Imagine the infinite number of answers possible to this question. For example, pastors could have responded with answers like:

• More desperate for Jesus
• More intimacy between husbands and wives
• More engaged in social justice and civic responsibilities
• More families having devotionals together
• More friendships with people far from God
• More students serving other students

But for the most part, they don’t give answers like this. Despite the rainbow variety of gospel-centered, life-transforming possibilities the most common answer is always, in one form or another, “More people.”

Keep in mind that the one-dimensional answer of “more people” transcends an incredibly wide variety of church settings and leaders, from uptown to small town, mainline or online – from the newest staff newbie to the post-retired, hard-to-expire. Everyone wants “more people.”

And “more people” is good. Jesus wants more people too. And yes, churches “should count people because people count.”

But there’s something important behind the answer of “more people.” And that something reveals this default setting in the life of the everyday pastor. Church leaders are not just saying that want “more people.” What they are really saying is…

KEEP READING (part 2 of 3)

In the introduction to Church Unique, I shared my passion that  instead of  leading a great model, “I would rather work behind the scenes as a model maker. My greatest joy is seeing a leader for the first time articulate a stunningly unique model of ministry for his or her church.” As this month marks my eleventh year as a full-time coach/consultant and the fourth birthday of Church Unique, this passion has never been stronger. So I am teeing up a few special posts on ChurchUnique.

I am still moved when I read a review that captures the heart behind the book and the pulse that keeps its ideas alive. It encourages me that the concepts resonate with all kinds of church thinkers and ministry leaders. And I imagine the “aha” synapses firing as leaders see the better future for their church.

Therefore, I am grateful for pastor and blogger, Andy Kinsey’s and his thoughtful review on the blog, Notes on Practical Divinity. His understanding of these days as church-history-crossroads  is well-stated:

“with the rise of congregational studies, and the increased focus on church practices, organizational theory, spiritual formation, and the growth of emergence and missional in the church’s consciousness, there is something unique happening at this moment in history… Church Unique is part of a much larger movement, one that is coming to terms with a rapidly changing, postmodern culture on the one hand and the fragments of a vibrant post-Christendom culture on the other”

There is something unique happening indeed!

Here are a few highlights from the review.  If you have already discovered your church unique, I hope these nuggets inspire you to stay the course.  If you have not, I hope these pique your curiosity to learn more.

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

• prompts deeper questions into why the church does what it does

• guides leaders into how they may understand their church’s own particular ‘microculture’ and discover ways to minister at the same time to the church’s surrounding ‘macroculture’

• highlights the pitfalls of church growth strategies that move into uncritically adopting assumptions that are harmful and not truly ‘purposeful’ of local church culture and custom

• functions as a manual to discover, the ‘Kingdom Concept’ that drives the church to realize Christ’s Great Commission and Commandment, while helping leaders cast the vision uniquely given by God’s Spirit

• brings out the specific ways churches may work to bring into alignment the various parts of their histories, cultures, and ministries

How has Church Unique influenced you as a model maker? I would love to hear your story!