Reggie McNeal

My husband Steve and I are still talking about the impact that Reggie McNeal had on us at the CEC conference. He has really pushed our thinking outside of the box and has helped us reevaluate our own roles in the kingdom. After the conference we ordered a couple of Reggie's books. The one that has really shaken up our thinking is The Present Future: Six Tough Questions for the CHURCH. We agree with George Cladis' evaluation of the book "Be prepared to be turned upside down and shaken loose of all your old notions of what church is and should be in today's world."

There are six chapter headings and in each of the six chapters Reggie poses and discusses the "wrong question" and the "tough question". Here are those titles and questions:
New Reality Number One: The Collapse of the Church Culture
Wrong Question: How do we do church better?
Tough Question: How do we deconvert from Churchianity to Christianity?
New Reality Number Two: The Shift From Church Growth to Kingdom Growth
Wrong Question: How do we grow the church (how do we get them to come to us?)
Tough Question: How do we transform our community? (how do we hit the streets with the
gospel?)
New Reality Number Three: A New Reformation: Releasing God's People
Wrong Question: How do we turn members into ministers?
Tough Question: How do we turn members into missionaries?
New Reality Number Four: The Return to Spiritual Formation
Wrong Question: How do we develop church members?
Tough Question: How do we develop followers of Jesus?
New Reality Number Five: The Shift From Planning to Preparation
Wrong Question: How do we plan for the future?
Tough Question: How do we prepare for the future?
New Reality Number Six: The Rise of Apostolic Leadership
Wrong Question: How do we develop leaders for church work?
Tough Question: How do we develop leaders for the Christian movement?

You can order this book and learn more about Reggie and the Leadership Network at www.leadnet.org.