As a staunch local church advocate, it would have been easy, at first, to label the author as a loose-cannon with an authority problem (the pharisee within me was saying what's wrong with the way we do church ?? - the church in America has been cranking along just fine, thank you very much, for the last 200 years - why should we change ??)... but there's no denying that the church in America is changing - the younger generation does not learn the same way or see life in exactly the same light as do their grandfathers, yet we blindly 'do church' the same way we did it 50-60 years ago. By the way, how's that been working for ya?? Perhaps some will say it works just fine, but many of us are not finding that to be true.
We tend to get wrapped around the axle with making the church grow (all to God's glory, of course - and it looks good on the resume) and making good church members (here's your new member packet detailing all the essentials you'll need to know on being a productive, obedient church member) verses encouraging members of the kingdom to have a vibrant love-relationship with Jesus, help them develop the gifts God has given them, and then turn them loose on the culture at large.
No, we 'church people' initially tell them to "come just as you are", but once they're are in the church, we'll strap them with rules, regulations & obligations (i.e. attend all services & don't forget tithing!!). We teach them that we, as the leadership, know what's best for them, teach them to submit to leadership, how we'll decide when they're ready to be used, how we'll decide what the ministries they should or should not be involved in, teach them that all their energies are for 'serving the church' - almost a total focus within the four walls of the church building with only a glancing nod to the lost community around us.
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McNeal's first new reality of the changed culture is the imminent collapse of the modern manifestation of the church. He did not suggest that the church as a spiritual entity is dead. He suggested the cultural expression of the organizational church is dying and the obituary is already written. The builder generation is passing away. Those in generations X and Y, along with the more recent millenniums, no longer see the relevance of the church. They do not support the institution of the church as their parents and grandparents once did. In response, the church must rediscover a theology of missions. For too long, McNeal asserted, the church in North America has operated primarily for the benefit of its own members. McNeal charged that the modern church has forgotten its true mission as the Body of Christ; that is, to provide a human voice to God's call of reconciliation to humankind. The remedy for the dying church in America is not a new method, but a rediscovery of its classic mission to a lost world.
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Whereas the first reformation freed the church from the stranglehold of a corrupt clergy, the modern reformation movement seeks to free the members from the burden of the institutional church. Presently, the common definition of an active church member is one who devotes his or her time to the needs of the church bureaucracy; that is, the care and feeding of the institutional church. The new reality of the postmodern culture requires members to engage the culture in creative ways that may not easily fit into predefined models of church work. The effective church of the future will thoroughly exegete its culture and will equip and empower its members to engage that culture in creative and meaningful ways. A more meaningful definition of an active church member will no longer be defined by their contributions of time, talent, and treasures within the church; but will be defined by whether church members are engaging their culture in meaningful ways outside the walls of the church. Members will become missionaries to the culture.
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A sign over a youth minister's door once read, "Challenge Everything." McNeal has done that. This reviewer discovered that his traditional rural church operates to preserve its institutional systems and structures. New members are desirable only for what they can do to shore up the institution. Evangelism is the means of self-preservation. McNeal's challenge to focus on Kingdom growth rather than church growth provided a new vision for this pastor's work.
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And as far as solutions go, "Present Future" is a book for those who are looking to make changes within their well-established status quo- people that are in between something old and something new. McNeal's solutions really cater to those in Baptist or Baptist-like settings and want to align themselves with God's mission to redeem mankind.
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If you are a church leader with your head in the sand, ignoring the postmodern revolution in our culture, or unwilling to change methods to communicate the message, you will not like Reggie McNeal. He will jerk you up by the neck and shout in your face to wake up and smell the coffee.
This book is frightening for church leaders to read, but it is also highly motivating. The man knows what he is talking about, and we had better listen!
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On a personal note, I spent a day with Reggie McNeal and about two dozen pastors at a conference in Springfield, Georgia, and I found him to be just as stimulating and passionate in person. I was sharing with him about how we were running out of space for Sunday School classes, and he urged me that instead of thinking about building more classrooms, to have classes meet in local restaurants and garages and let the people's faith spill out and influence the unchurched people they will meet who come into the businesses on Sunday. He definitely thinks outside of the box.
raying:
