Andy Stanley, Visioneering: God’s Blueprint for Developing and Maintaining Vision. Multonomah Books, 2005.
Companion volume: Stanley, Making Vision Stick
Referenced in: Strategies for Church Renewal – Leader-Directed Vision Casting
LifeandLeadership.com Summary
This is an example of what may be called Leader-Directed Vision Casting. It assumes that a visionary leader with high credibility among those s/he leads works in concert with God to discern his vision for the congregation within a structure of communal spiritual accountability, imparts that vision so as to engender support, and then activates the strategies and structures to carry the vision to fulfillment.
The advantage of this resource is that Stanley is a visionary leader of the North Point Community Church in suburban Atlanta. He writes not only from his own experience, but also vast knowledge of leadership theory. In this book, he develops the visionary process from conception to completion, from personal to corporate. He launches from several biblical examples, primarily Nehemiah, in showing how to prayerfully discern vision, conduct important inventories to insure God confirms the vision, and then go public with the vision. From there, Stanley discusses the important of sacrificing for one’s vision, aligning all of one’s life around it, maintaining moral authority, warding off criticism, avoiding distractions, and staying on course.
The strength of this book is in the inspiration and example from an experienced leader. Readers may also appreciate the brief companion volume Making Vision Stick which tackles the problem of a making sure a leader’s vision finds its way into the lived consciousness of the people. He discusses three reasons why visions do not stick, and then five ways to get vision to stick more effectively:
- State the vision simply.
- Cast the vision convincingly.
- Repeat the vision regularly.
- Celebrate the vision systematically.
- Embrace the vision personally.
These are excellent books by Stanley, but they are not necessarily the only ones needed in a visioning process. See others in the Ministry Resource Guide on this subject.
From the Publisher
Lift Your Vision High
Vision is a preferred future. A destination. Vision always stands in contrast to the world as it is. Visioneering, according to bestselling author Andy Stanley, is “a clear mental picture of what could be, fueled by the conviction that it should be.” With warm, down-to-earth practicality, Andy Stanley explores the ordinary life of Nehemiah and his God-given vision for accomplishing the extraordinary. He shows how the life of this great ancient visionary, determined to rebuild the ruined walls of Jerusalem, reveals principles that can prepare us to find and follow God’s multifaceted vision for our own lives. Now this bestseller is again available in an attractive, affordable paperback!
Everybody ends up somewhere in life.
You can end up somewhere on purpose!
Visioneering is the engineering of a vision. It’s the process one follows to develop and maintain vision. “Vision,” writes Andy Stanley , “is a clear mental picture of what could be, fueled by the conviction that it should be.”
In the bestselling Visioneering, Stanley builds a compelling case for the necessity of a clear, God-ordained vision for each of the roles of your life. Whether you’re a parent with a vision for your children or a CEO pursuing a corporate vision, Visioneering is the perfect tool to help you develop and maintain God’s unique purpose for your life.
About the Author
Andy Stanley is a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary and the founder of North Point Ministries. He serves as pastor of North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, Georgia, with a congregation of more than 12,000, as well as Buckhead Church in Atlanta, Georgia, with more than 3,000 attendees. Andy is the bestselling author of The Next Generation Leader, The Best Question Ever, and How Good Is Good Enough? Andy and his wife, Sandra, have two sons and a daughter.
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