Lyle Schaller, Yokefellow Institute
As the church confronts the rapid and complex transformations that are ushering Western society into the twenty-first century, many established churches and ministry organizations find themselves teetering between ineffectiveness and extinction. The reality is that they must change to meet the challenges of the present and upcoming generation, and they must do so quickly. But the problem is that many lay leaders and pastors don't know how to guide their churches into the kind of changes that will make their churches relevant and effective.
Within church leadership circles, Leith Anderson is a nationally recognized expert on how churches can and must change not only to survive but to thrive in the next century. A Church for the 21st Century deals directly with how to change and what to change. Anderson's purpose is to help established churches renew themselves and becoming effective vehicles of ministry and outreach.
Change can come to churches by gently and positively helping them diagnose their true condition and, secondarily, by pointing the way to a prescription. But Anderson gives no simplistic formulas. Every church situation is different and the changes needed are as diverse as each congregation. Good church leaders, like good physicians, are careful to determine the correct diagnosis as well as prescription. While recognizing that the power to change
