Additional information
by Reggie McNeal (Author)
Reggie McNeal's bestseller The Present Future is the definitive work on the "missional movement," i.e., the widespread movement among Protestant churches to be less inwardly focused and more oriented toward the culture and community around them. In that book he asked the tough questions that churches needed to entertain to begin to think about who they are and what they are doing; in Missional Renaissance, he shows them the three significant shifts in their thinking and behavior that they need to make that will allow leaders to chart a course toward being missional: (1) from an internal to an external focus, ending the church as exclusive social club model; (2) from running programs and ministries to developing people as its core activity; and (3) from professional leadership to leadership that is shared by everyone in the community. With in-depth discussions of the "what" and the "how" of transitioning to being a missional church, readers will be equipped to move into what McNeal sees as the most viable future for Christianity. For all those thousands of churches who are asking about what to do next after reading The Present Future, Missional Renaissance will provide the answer.
Front Jacket
MISSIONAL RENAISSANCE
When Reggie McNeal's best-selling book The Present Future was published, it quickly became one of the definitive works on the "missional church movement." McNeal helped to define the widespread movement among churches that wanted to become more oriented toward the culture and community around them. In that book, McNeal asked the tough questions that churches needed to wrestle with to begin to think about who they are and what they are doing.
In Missional Renaissance, the much-anticipated follow-up to his groundbreaking book, Reggie McNeal shows the three significant shifts in the church leaders' thinking and behavior that will allow their congregations to chart a course toward becoming truly a missional congregation.
To embrace the missional model, church leaders and members must shift
- From an internal to an external focus, ending the church as exclusive social club model
- From running programs and ministries to developing people as its core activity
- From church-based leadership to community-engaged leadership
The book is filled with in-depth discussions of what it means to become a missional congregation and important information on how to make the transition. With an understanding of the nature of the missional church and the practical suggestions outlined in this book, church leaders and members will be equipped to move into what McNeal sees as the most viable future for Christianity.
Missional Renaissance offers a clear path for any leader or congregation that wants to breathe new life into the church and to become revitalized as true followers of Jesus.
To learn more go to www.missionalrenaissance.org
ABOUT LEADERSHIP NETWORK The mission of Leadership Network identifies and connects innovative church leaders, providing them with resources in the form of new ideas, people, and tools. Contact Leadership Network at www.leadnet.org.
Back Jacket
Praise for MISSIONAL RENAISSANCE
"Any new book by Reggie McNeal is something of an event, and this book is no exception. Not only is this an excellent introduction to missional Christianity, but it establishes a much-needed metric by which we can assess the vitality of this highly significant new movement."
Alan Hirsch, author, The Forgotten Ways, Rejesus, and The Shaping of Things to Come; founding director, Forge Mission Training System, and co-founder of shapevine.com
"In this book we are challenged to consider what it means to be in the heart of the pivotal new work God is up to in our generation. Read this book, but only if you are willing to let go of the inconsequential ways of evaluating what it means to be a success in God's kingdom."
Neil Cole, director, Church Multiplication Associates, and author, Organic Church, Search & Rescue, Organic Leadership, and Cultivating a Life for God
"This is Reggie McNeal's gift to the church of the twenty-first century and his finest and most thorough work to date. This book clearly defines the shifts necessary to gauge what matters most for the missional people of God."
Eric Swanson, coauthor, The Externally Focused Church and Living a Life on Loan
"There are spheres of human activity in which gold medalists rule the Olympian heights. In the sphere of church renewal, Reggie rules. Missional Renaissance is a must-have resource in helping every church keep its 'eyes on the prize' of God's high missional calling."
Leonard Sweet, Drew University, George Fox University, www.sermons.com
"If you are a pastor or church leader ready to get down to the raw specifics of turning a Christendom club into a missional community, you will love this book. The concepts are as easily understood as they are radical and breathtaking. There are a number of brilliant missional theorists, but no one can speak the language of our American context and put the rubber on the street like Reggie McNeal. "
Victor Pentz, pastor, Peachtree Presbyterian Church, Atlanta, Georgia
Author Biography
Reggie McNeal serves as the Missional Leadership Specialist for Leadership Network of Dallas, Texas. McNeal is the author of A Work of Heart: Understanding How God Shapes Spiritual Leaders and the best-selling The Present Future: Six Tough Questions for the Church and Practicing Greatness: 7 Disciplines of Extraordinary Spiritual Leaders from Jossey-Bass.
To learn more go to www.missionalrenaissance.org
ABOUT LEADERSHIP NETWORK The mission of Leadership Network identifies and connects innovative church leaders, providing them with resources in the form of new ideas, people, and tools. Contact Leadership Network at www.leadnet.org.
