Missional Renaissance: Changing the Scorecard for the Church (Jossey-Bass Leadership Network Series) [Hardcover]

Reggie McNeal (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0470243449 | ISBN-13: 978-0470243442 | Publication Date: February 3, 2009 | Edition: 1

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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Let me say this outright: This book is a must-read for Jesus-Creeders." (Beliefnet.com)

From the Inside Flap

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.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1 edition (February 3, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470243449
• ISBN-13: 978-0470243442
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 0.9 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #29,354 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #28 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Evangelism > Missions & Missionary Work

More About the Author

Reggie enjoys helping people, leaders, and Christian organizations pursue more intentional lives. He currently serves as the Missional Leadership Specialist for Leadership Network of Dallas, TX. Reggie's past experience involves over a decade as a denominational executive and leadership development coach. He also served in local congregational leadership for over twenty years, including being the founding pastor of a new church. Reggie has lectured or taught as adjunct faculty for multiple seminaries, including Fuller Theological (Pasadena, CA), Southwestern Baptist (Ft. Worth, TX), Golden Gate Baptist (San Francisco, CA), Trinity Divinity School (Deerfield, IL), and Columbia International (Columbia, SC). In addition, he has served as a consultant to local church, denomination, and para-church leadership teams, as well as seminar developer and presenter for thousands of church leaders across North America. He has also resourced the United States Army Chief of Chaplains Office, Air Force chaplains, and the Air Force Education and Training Command. Reggie's work also extends to the business sector, including The Gallup Organization.

Reggie has contributed to numerous denominational publications and church leadership journals, including Leadership and Net Results. His books include Revolution in Leadership (Abingdon Press, 1998), A Work of Heart: Understanding How God Shapes Spiritual Leaders (Jossey-Bass, 2000), The Present Future (Jossey-Bass, 2003), Practicing Greatness (Jossey-Bass, 2006), Get A Life! (Broadman & Holman, 2007). His latest book, Missional Renaissance: Changing the Scorecard for the Church (Jossey-Bass, 2009) details the three shifts that church leaders must make to engage the missional movement and offers suggestions for a different scorecard to reflect missional ministry.

Reggie's education includes a B.A. degree from the University of South Carolina and the M.Div. and Ph.D. degrees both from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Reggie and his wife Cathy, have two daughters, Jessica and Susanna, and make their home in Columbia, South Carolina.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Six Flags Over Jesus, November 19, 2009

By 

John W. Pearson "John Pearson Associates" (San Clemente, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Missional Renaissance: Changing the Scorecard for the Church (Jossey-Bass Leadership Network Series) (Hardcover)

Reggie McNeal says that "the rise of the missional church is the single biggest development in Christianity since the Reformation." That's an extraordinary claim--and you should read his latest book to see if you agree.

Churches, he argues, can now be divided into two groups: those that get it (being missional) and those that don't. The typical clergyperson, McNeal writes, "Is groomed to do project management (yes, even the sermon is a project) and perform religious rites, not develop people." So he calls the church to a new role and a new scorecard:
* Ministry focus: from internal to external
* Core activity: from program development to people development
* Leadership agenda: from church-based to kingdom-based

The missional movement is not about "doing church" better. "It is not church growth in a new dress," or a hot new trend or fad. So what is it? McNeal says that "the missional church is the people of God partnering with God in his redemptive mission in the world." The focus is on the world, not a full calendar of church activities that are exhausting, not equipping, God's people.

The author/church consultant reports on many North American church leaders who have moved from a church-centric operation (come to our buildings) to a community focus (we go to you). Example: a senior pastor sent his staff into the community (malls, schools, stores, etc.) and asked them to observe people through God's eyes for one hour. Their conclusion: all the nifty programs back at the church were not now reaching nor would they ever reach those people. Then on a Sunday he sent the whole church into the community to observe. Bingo! The people got it--and it turned the church upside down by being outwardly focused.

McNeal adds, "We were told that if we built successful churches, people would come. We bought and paid for the lie that Six Flags over Jesus was what the world needed. We believed that if we built better churches, our cities would be better off. We telegraphed in dozens of ways the message that involvement in church life was the portal to fulfillment and the mark of an abundant life."

"The program-driven church has produced a brand of Christianity that is despised, not just ignored, by people outside the church." His solution? We need a new scorecard to measure what matters--not church attendance and a zillion sermons, but out-in-the-trenches life-on-life community engagement that produces life transformation.

McNeal then suggests how a church could reallocate resources and he gives more than 75 missional indicators that could be measured in six key areas: prayer, people (leaders and others), calendar (time), finances, facilities and technology. For example, he suggests you measure the number of schools that use the church's facilities. Another measurement: track the amount of time invested in leaders meetings that focus on the people development side.

If McNeal is right--that there is (or will soon be) a major chasm between those "doing church" versus those "being the church"--then this insight from Phil Cooke's newsletter, The Change Revolution, is noteworthy. Citing Alexander von Humboldt's "Three Stages of Scientific Discovery" (as referenced by Bill Bryson in his book, "A Short History of Nearly Everything") Cooke notes that there are five stages to innovation:
1. People deny that the innovation is required.
2. People deny that the innovation is effective.
3. People deny that the innovation is important.
4. People deny that the innovation will justify the effort required to adopt it.
5. People accept and adopt the innovation, enjoy its benefits, attribute it to people other than the innovator, and deny the existence of stages 1 to 4.

This is an important book--even if you don't "get it."

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant Clarity, April 20, 2009

By 

Donald Waybright (Sugar Land, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Missional Renaissance: Changing the Scorecard for the Church (Jossey-Bass Leadership Network Series) (Hardcover)

McNeal captures the current of the stream of the Holy Spirit working in the N American church today. He is saying what most of us are saying, but with brilliant clarity. This book will continue to fuel the intensity of the God movement taking place.

The Scorecard is a challenge...the new movement requires new measurements (if we need to measure?). McNeal gives ideas to help generate this scorecard, but this will continue to be a challenge for missional leaders. If anyone has quality solutions send me an email at [e-mail]

Also...the attractional model is not evil. The Great Commission is the overriding purpose and goal of the church. Both the nation of Israel in Old Testament and the Holy Nation of the church in New Testament have attractional and incarnational elements. In many cases the church in N America has abandoned its incarnational gifts by conforming to the dominant culture. The Holy Spirit is birthing a renaissance, as Reggie implies, that is restoring this spirit-filled dynamic to the church.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars He gets it., February 17, 2009

By 

Daryl Eldridge "Rockbridge Seminary Online" (Springfield, MO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Missional Renaissance: Changing the Scorecard for the Church (Jossey-Bass Leadership Network Series) (Hardcover)

McNeal gets it. This book provides hope for every church that wants to make more and better Christians. This is not a theoretical read, but a practical handbook for the missional leader. One of my favorite quotes: "We bought and paid for the lie that Six Flags over Jesus was what the world needed. We believed that if we built better churches, our cities would be better off. . . The jig is up . . . The program-driven church has produced a brand of Christianity that is despised, not just ignored, by people outside the church."