Will Mancini

It has been a joy to serve Oak Hills Church in San Antonio on two occasions. The first was during the transition year of Max Lucado stepping into a teaching minister role as the church found a new senior minister. Eventually the church brought Randy Frazee from Willow Creek. The second season was this last fall helping the core staff hone the articulation and sharpen the attunement of the vision.

I speak often of the Vision Frame but only illustrate it sporadically because I am amazed at how quickly people bypass process by photocopying product. Here is the Oak Hills Vision Frame.

Mission:

We are the body of Christ, called to be Jesus in every neighborhood in San Antonio and beyond

Values:

• Unity
• Inclusiveness
• GTF (Grace, Truth, & Faith)
• Prayer
• Every believer is a minister
• Family
• Neighborhood

Strategy:

1. Realize Each Environment (there are 4 environments)
2. Engage Where You Are (there are 3 levels of depth for each environment)

Measures:

• Belong 4 (4- environments: campus, area, neighborhood and community)
• Grow 30 (10- Think Like Jesus, 10- Act Like Jesus, 10- Be Like Jesus)
• Serve All/Everywhere

I have not detailed content for these Vision Frame “handles.” Essentially the beauty and uniqueness of the frame entails not going to another time and place at church but engaging a concentric circle  of community that exists automatically. In other words, each person already belongs to four “places.” You engage your campus weekly for worship, your “area community” quarterly, your neighborhood monthly and your family daily.

My favorite part of the vision is the emphasis on the monthly neighborhood gathering which is both missional and inclusive in its design.

The Mission Measure is a slight rewording of the 30 Core Competencies developed while Randy was at Pantego Bible Church and published as the Christian Life Profile. Be looking for the re-release of this content as the “30 Big Ideas”

Does your church do an annual report?

Most churches I run into don’t use the language of “annual report.” Some who do, simply print a black and white sheet with a bunch of numbers. But consider for a moment how an annual report might be used to cast vision. In fact rather than talk about it first, let’s take a quick glance at one of the best church annual reports I have seen.

In October, I spent some time with Jamie Munson and his team, the lead pastor of Mars Hill Church, founded by Mark Driscoll. The guys were sharp, humble and gospel-centered in how they think and communicate. The leaders of Mars Hill do an excellent job of translating the clear a vision to their folks. One way they remind and refocus people is through an annual report. Here is the latest report they have made available online: It’s All About Jesus Annual Report.

Notice how they turned a potentially mundane church document into a vision casting power tool:

#1  Create Visual Appeal: This report uses great design not just to for eye candy, but to communicate vision visually.

#2  Saturate with Story: Notice how the report begins with quotes from people and snapshots of life-change.

#3  Reinforce  Vision Vocabulary: Phrases like, “It’s all about Jesus,” “Air war vs. Ground War,” “Reaching 50,000″ aren’t shared for the first time in a report, but are repeated for emphasis and stickiness.

#4  Report Facts while Sharing Goals: The year in review quickly becomes a cannon to communicate bold future dreams.

#5  Stoke Redemptive Passion: One unmistakable feature of this report is how it reflects a culture of mission and passion for the lost and both locally and globally.

#6 Induce Action: The reports ends with a motivational prayer plea.

At this stage it may be obvious, but I won’t let it go unstated. You can’t inspire your church with an annual report if you don’t have clear, compelling vision for the future. How would you create an annual report for 2010? What would be your bold vision for 2011?

Church planters stand in a unique intersection that brings five overlapping points of tension when it comes to vision and ministry DNA.  I see these five tug-of-war ropes with every planter I meet. Each of these tensions starts with a defining question.

#1 Am I running from or photocopying the ministry DNA of where I am leaving?

The first tension is between the ministry the church planter is leaving and the church they’re starting. There is a love-hate spectrum on the “leaving” side. Planters can err defining themselves by what they’re not (hate) or by simply photocopying the launching church model (love). I see both all of the time. In our ongoing Houston co::Lab, one planter left Sojourn Church in Louisville, KY excited to plant a church just like it in Pearland, TX. He is using the co::Lab to make sure he doesn’t short-circuit his own discovery and discernment process.

#2 Will I build the church that’s in my head only, or the one that God will begin to grow?

The second tension is between the ministry DNA that’s in the church planters mind and the one that God actually begins to grow.  Defining values from the start should be a powerful magnet and filter for the core team, but this shouldn’t preclude God’s sovereign hand of provision and direction as the church takes-off. The balance here is important as I always encourage aggressive discernment and bold articulation from the start. The key is to pay attention and always ask the most fundamental question: “What is God up to?”

#3 Will my definition of success be limited by the metrics of yesterday?

The third tension is between the metrics of yesteryear and the new metrics that missional thinking and innovative ministry may birth. Planters need freedom and confidence to break from the past and the lingering expectations from peers and mentors. I am surprised by how many times a guy starts out thinking creatively only to fall into common patterns and butts-in-seats goals.

#4 Will I leverage the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to lay a vision foundation?

Fourth, is the tension of the “get-r-done” factor and a sweat-saturated task list with the importance of taking time to think clearly about the church’s cultural foundation. You only pour the foundational concrete once. I encourage planters to fiercely protect the “important and non-urgent” task of articulating vision well. The Auxano Vision co::Lab is a great place for coaching and accountability for this work. Remember, you only have the lifetime of the opportunity to seize the opportunity of a lifetime.

#5 Will I choose to translate the DNA well to the core team or rely on my own talent?

Finally, planters wrestle with knowing intuitively what they’re about and creating contagious carriers of the church’s vision. Helping people tell the new story is not as automatic as we would like to think, even with the core team. Years into his ministry, Jesus was still clarifying the basics of his mission with his twelve. In Luke 9:55, he rebukes them once again for wanting to destroy and not save. If our perfect God-man-leader, Jesus, worked hard for vision clarity what makes you think it won’t take a lot of time and attention for you?

If you have recently planted or are in the process of planting, I highly recommend the Exponential Conference this April in Orlando. They will have a track for vision, values & culture, apart of which will be a pre-conference. Let me know if you plan to be there.

I’m on the family drive from Houston Knoxville for Christmas, reviewing your favorite posts in the last 12 months. Romy and I are sitting in the back seat with Jacob and Joel at the helm.  This is Jacob’s first year to pull a leg on our annual road trip which creates a very interesting mobile office experience.

I hope you enjoy this review!

#7  10 Distinctives of Culture-shaping  vs. Church-building Leadership

#6  Church Jobs of the Future

#5  The Christian Blogger’s Dilemma and What to Do About It

#4  Introducing Open Source Vision Casting

#3  Vision Casting for Children’s Ministry: 7 Golden Principles

#2  Ten Power Principles on Church Strategy

#1  Guests at Church: 10 Mind Blowing Facts to Fuel Your Hospitality Ministry

One year ago, I blogged a 7 part series that I thought was worth revisiting on the application of Seth Godin’s book, Tribes, to church leadership. Because I picked up the pace of writing since that time, many have started following my blog after this series was posted. The six ingredients of a redemptive tribe are passion, leadership, movement, communication, focus, and greatness. 

Post #1: Take Seth Godin to Church: Here I introduce the series, challenging readers on how they apply the information they read from books. I set up the driving question of the series: Are you managing a program factory or are you leading a redemptive tribe? 

Post #2: How Passionate is Your Tribe – 5 Team Questions: In this post I talk about the first ingredient of a redemptive tribe: Passion. I include some practical team questions. Every leader in your church can be placed on a continuum of emotional ownership. How do you increase their passion? 

Post #3: Pastors are Tribal Leaders – 4 Things We Must Do: This post brings the second ingredient, leadership, to the forefront with four imperatives for every local church pastor. I pull my favorite quotes from Godin and spend more time on the fourth “must do:” Committing before its successful. 

Post #4: Limit Your Limitations: The third ingredient of a redemptive tribe is movement. Here are some incredible questions to think through as a team about your story, your communication, and your unintended barriers to doing more as a church.

Post #5: The Essential Lesson of Tribal Communication: The fourth ingredient of communication brings us to a one primary application. What is the most principle for us to apply?

Post #6: Stop Trying to Reach Most People: This provocative little post had the highest hits in the series last year. I think you will enjoy the counter-intuitive principle here on tribal focus, the fifth ingredient.

Post #7: Your Church Was Made to Be Remarkable: The final post discusses greatness as the sixth ingredient of a redemptive tribe. Jesus is the most remarkable human to walk the planet. The gospel is the most remarkable message ever communicated. Now look at four quotes from the book through the lens of being a remarkable church.

I hope you enjoy this series and use it with your team. If you benefited from the extended series, please let me know.