The Present Future Book Review

Reading Report Form

Book Title: The Present Future: Six Tough Questions for the Church (148 pages)

Author: Reggie McNeal

Synopsis of content:
The Present Future is for congregational leaders, pastors and staff leaders primarily. In this book, McNeal poses some tough questions for the church. For example, how do we hit the streets with the Gospel? Other questions asked are how do we turn members into ministers and how do we turn members into missionaries? McNeal also discusses six important realities that church leaders must address. Some of the new realities discussed are as follows: the collapse of the church culture, the shift from church growth to Kingdom growth, a new reformation releasing God’s people and the shift from planning to preparation.

Significant Quotes:
McNeal states about the church world in North America that it is “a world that has largely forsaken its missional covenant with God to be a part of kingdom expansion. It has instead, substituted its own charter of church as a clubhouse where religious people hang out with other people who think, dress, behave, vote and believe like them.

McNeal states, “My hoped-for contribution is to provide you with a synthesis of essential actions, an overall strategy, which will help you move forward with those who will join you in reshaping the Christian movement in North America.”

Reflection:
Overall, I thought this was a good book. As I read it, I could feel the author’s passion for the church in North America. He states that his life’s calling is to help the church here rediscover the mission of the church. Sadly, I agree with most of what he says in this book about the church in North America. I have seen first hand some of the issues he brings up about the church. I appreciate that McNeal also presents a strategy to help church leaders reshape the Christian movement in this country.