God Dreams: 12 Vision Templates for Finding and Focusing Your Church's Future

by Will Mancini

Similarly authentic vision for a particular group of God’s people—or what Will Mancini calls a “church unique”—is not something you can simply download from some generic vision store on the Internet, as some seem to suggest.

There is no one-size-fits-all vision. Vision, if it is to be powerful and compelling, has to be unique and awaken the latent energies of a group of people.

God Dreams is about visionary leadership in the local church. More specifically, it’s about articulating a visionary plan in a way that’s compelling, measurable, and marked by stunning clarity.

In fact, God Dreams will argue that the typical pastor doesn’t get close to a basic competence level in visionary leadership. Instead, despite our best efforts to keep our eye on the ball of vision, we get tackled by Sunday’s-a-coming busyness, we get distracted by the next how-to-church book, and we stay addicted to “done-for-you” resources.

Vision is for every day. Vision is always relevant. It’s not a special-occasion annual message.

Vision makes us better. When we imagine things better, we are better people.

Albert Einstein once said that imagination is more important than knowledge. Even the writer of Hebrews connects faith with imagination: without faith—being certain of what we do not see—it is impossible to please God (see Heb. 11:1–6).