The Present Future: Six Tough Questions for the Church

by Reggie McNeal (Columbia, South Carolina)

• ISBN13: 9780787965686
• ISBN10: 0787965685
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2003-10-01
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass

Summary

In this provocative book, author, consultant, and church leadership developer Reggie McNeal debunks these and other old assumptions and provides an overall strategy to help church leaders move forward in an entirely different and much more effective way. In The Present Future, McNeal identifies the six most important realities that church leaders must address including: recapturing the spirit of Christianity and replacing "church growth" with a wider vision of kingdom growth; developing disciples instead of church members; fostering the rise of a new apostolic leadership; focusing on spiritual formation rather than church programs; and shifting from prediction and planning to preparation for the challenges of an uncertain world. McNeal contends that by changing the questions church leaders ask themselves about their congregations and their plans, they can frame the core issues and approach the future with new eyes, new purpose, and new ideas.Also available: The Present Future DVD Collection (978-0-7879-8673-5), Reggie McNeal's DVD presentation of the ideas and insights featured in his best-selling book.

Author Biography

Reggie McNeal is the director of leadership development for the South Carolina Baptist Convention. Drawing on twenty years of leadership roles in local congregations, and his work over the last decade with thousands of church leaders, McNeal counsels local churches, denominational groups, seminaries and colleges, and para-church organizations in their leadership development needs. He lives in Columbia, South Carolina, with his wife and two daughters. He is the author of A Work of Heart from Jossey-Bass.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. x
Preface	p. xi
Introduction	p. xiii
New Reality Number One: The Collapse of the Church Culture	p. 1
New Reality Number Two: The Shift from Church Growth to Kingdom Growth	p. 20
New Reality Number Three: A New Reformation: Releasing God's People	p. 43
New Reality Number Four: The Return to Spiritual Formation	p. 69
New Reality Number Five: The Shift from Planning to Preparation	p. 92
New Reality Number Six: The Rise of Apostolic Leadership	p. 120
Things I Didn't Say	p. 140
Conclusion	p. 146
References	p. 149
The Author	p. 151
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