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Missional Renaissance: Changing the Scorecard for the Church
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.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
61 people are currently reading
179 people want to read
About the author
Reggie McNeal
30 books15 followersReggie McNeal enjoys helping leaders pursue more kingdom-focused lives. He currently serves as a senior fellow for Leadership Network and city coach for GoodCities. In his consulting and speaking, Reggie draws on his experience as a pastor, denominational leader, seminary teacher, and leadership development coach for thousands of church leaders across North America and the world. His books include The Present Future, Missional Renaissance, A Work of Heart, and Kingdom Come.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
December 8, 2014
Overall I loved Missional Renaissance by Reggie McNeal. I agree that the North American church is off-base and in need of some change. I agree that we have lost our identity as the people of God. I agree that we need to be more outward focused, people oriented, and kingdom based. Sometimes, though, it seems like Reggie has a very narrow view of what The Church is and takes some things a little too far. In fact, I wonder if what Reggie is encouraging is a missional church or a postmodern church. Every church should be missional, but not every church should be postmodern. If we simply exchange modern for postmodern we won’t have accomplished anything, but if the changes in culture push us to be more biblical the church will be healthier as a result.
Reggie mentions personal development as a recent cultural shift. He goes on to say that “achieving abundant life will require intentional personal development.” This is simply not true! Abundant life doesn’t come through personal development, it comes through the life, death, resurrection, ascension atonement that Jesus has provided for us. Jesus came to bring life and to bring it in abundance. In this instance it seems that Reggie has confused some healthy and good shifts in our culture with the basic Christian message. Yes, if we are following Jesus we will experience personal development, but if we are seeking personal development it will not automatically provide us with abundant life.
Aside from this, I do appreciate McNeal’s focus on following Jesus being a matter of real life, not just church life. I regularly say to my church family, “Church isn’t what happens at church.” Also, his focus on our identity is important. The North American church is in the midst of an identity crisis, and many don’t even realize it. We no longer understand who we are (and, as Reggie points out, rather than asking who we are we’re still asking what we are). But the place to start finding our identity is not in the world around us, its not in our culture or even in ourselves, it is in Jesus. To this end, I appreciated the emphasis on prayer at every turn. Only when we have a burning desire to know God and His desires for the Church and the world will we truly find our identity in Christ and begin to live for him in the nitty gritty of real life.
I do wish that the book offered more concrete help in making the transition from transitional church to missional. I couldn’t help but feel like Reggie felt the need to convince the reader at every turn that missional was necessary. Hasn’t he written other books to that end? The chapters on developing the new scorecard seemed shallow at times with little practical advice and often no guidance in how the transition can occur. He mentions changing culture by changing the conversations, but he never gives any advice on how to go about doing that. He mentions new ways to “score” church, but never really says how you go about changing to the new scoring method or letting go of the old.
In the end, this book is a helpful starting point, but it seems like there is a lot missing. The total content of the book could have been presented in one-third of the number of pages; the rest of the book is him trying to make his argument convincing. However, I do think that this is a book I will go back to many times as I try to find ways of moving my own church from an internal to an external perspective.
We don’t need a post-modern church, we need a Christian church. Inasmuch as this book encourages and builds the true church, we are indebted to his work.
Reggie mentions personal development as a recent cultural shift. He goes on to say that “achieving abundant life will require intentional personal development.” This is simply not true! Abundant life doesn’t come through personal development, it comes through the life, death, resurrection, ascension atonement that Jesus has provided for us. Jesus came to bring life and to bring it in abundance. In this instance it seems that Reggie has confused some healthy and good shifts in our culture with the basic Christian message. Yes, if we are following Jesus we will experience personal development, but if we are seeking personal development it will not automatically provide us with abundant life.
Aside from this, I do appreciate McNeal’s focus on following Jesus being a matter of real life, not just church life. I regularly say to my church family, “Church isn’t what happens at church.” Also, his focus on our identity is important. The North American church is in the midst of an identity crisis, and many don’t even realize it. We no longer understand who we are (and, as Reggie points out, rather than asking who we are we’re still asking what we are). But the place to start finding our identity is not in the world around us, its not in our culture or even in ourselves, it is in Jesus. To this end, I appreciated the emphasis on prayer at every turn. Only when we have a burning desire to know God and His desires for the Church and the world will we truly find our identity in Christ and begin to live for him in the nitty gritty of real life.
I do wish that the book offered more concrete help in making the transition from transitional church to missional. I couldn’t help but feel like Reggie felt the need to convince the reader at every turn that missional was necessary. Hasn’t he written other books to that end? The chapters on developing the new scorecard seemed shallow at times with little practical advice and often no guidance in how the transition can occur. He mentions changing culture by changing the conversations, but he never gives any advice on how to go about doing that. He mentions new ways to “score” church, but never really says how you go about changing to the new scoring method or letting go of the old.
In the end, this book is a helpful starting point, but it seems like there is a lot missing. The total content of the book could have been presented in one-third of the number of pages; the rest of the book is him trying to make his argument convincing. However, I do think that this is a book I will go back to many times as I try to find ways of moving my own church from an internal to an external perspective.
We don’t need a post-modern church, we need a Christian church. Inasmuch as this book encourages and builds the true church, we are indebted to his work.
December 18, 2019
This book was part of a recent class/cohort I participated in that was designed by the North American Mission Board. The class was called MULTIPLY, and was designed to, "develop strong, healthy leaders through a unique approach using 12 leadership competencies." The class is targeted at possible church planters and re-planters. I am currently serving as a layleader in our church, teaching the Kids Bible Time during Sunday mornings.
The class' required texts were "Missional Renaissance", along with:
"Kingdom First: Starting Churches that Shape Movements" by Jeff Christopherson.
"It's Personal" by Brian and Amy Love
"Church Unique" by Will Mancini
We will finish up the class tomorrow. I was in a class led by a veteran pastor, along with four other pastors.
This book helped me understand and think deeply about missional Christianity, focused on John 20:21b: "As the Father as sent me, I am sending you." Each chapter will be useful in my ministry context in the future. I especially liked the chapter on helping people grow with a "people development strategy" on pgs 124-127. The book seemed to be centered more on larger and urban churches than rural and smaller churches however. A good book that church planters and re-planters would be wise to buy a copy, read, think and pray over the concepts of missional Christianity presented in the text.
The class' required texts were "Missional Renaissance", along with:
"Kingdom First: Starting Churches that Shape Movements" by Jeff Christopherson.
"It's Personal" by Brian and Amy Love
"Church Unique" by Will Mancini
We will finish up the class tomorrow. I was in a class led by a veteran pastor, along with four other pastors.
This book helped me understand and think deeply about missional Christianity, focused on John 20:21b: "As the Father as sent me, I am sending you." Each chapter will be useful in my ministry context in the future. I especially liked the chapter on helping people grow with a "people development strategy" on pgs 124-127. The book seemed to be centered more on larger and urban churches than rural and smaller churches however. A good book that church planters and re-planters would be wise to buy a copy, read, think and pray over the concepts of missional Christianity presented in the text.
July 27, 2017
Though I think McNeal has some good ideas, he came across as so jaded concerning the church that I soured on this book. He seems to assume the worst of more traditional pastors and churches. Little is said about the urgency of reaching people with the gospel. There are parts of the book where he writes as if the missional church is the only one reaching out and ministering to others. He becomes so focused on people having a better life, that he seems to forget about eternity. He writes, "God is not confused about his intentions. He fights against everything that diminishes life. He has spared nothing, not even his own Son, to secure a better existence for humanity. The missional church ventures into the world as partners with God on his redemptive mission." (p. 110) The redemptive mission of God is not a better existence for humanity. The redemptive mission of God is to bring reconciliation with God and man through Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 1:7; 2 Corinthians 5:18-21) He states on page 46, "The role of the church is simply this: to bless the world. In doing this, the people of God reveal God's heart for the world." Really? This sounds like the the social gospel movement and liberation theology from days gone by. Is God concerned about the poor and broken-hearted? Absolutely. I think McNeal's work is a good reminder that we need to move out into the community with the love of God (and the gospel). But throughout he seems to have given up on the church as an organization - and God has not given up on the church. The church (followers of Christ) must continue to look for ways to share the truth and love of Christ, as we encourage one another and make disciples. The last section of the book draws from his prior book, a Work of Heart, and is a good challenge for all of us to work on our own lives as we seek to help others.
June 2, 2019
I think McNeal makes a lot of really good points. The book is fantastic in talking about how we should interact with our neighbors and our communities.
He does this to almost a social Gospel/ prosperity Gospel sense. Could leave the prosperity stuff, but life IS lived better when we follow God's design, whether the world would look at it as better or not. In addition, I think the conservative church (my own life included) has lacked in service to our neighbor, and could learn something from the types of church that serve others with abandon.
That being said, the dude is ARROGANT. OOF. I think that he makes great points, but his attitude of "this is what God wants us to do, and anyone who disagrees is too stuck in the institution" is a bit off-putting. I get what he's saying, but it is too much. He says that you can live the way things are going but in a "hey man, it's cool if you want to be wrong and bad, I just choose to be right" kind of way.
I also think he's missing the greatest blessing of Christianity it our lives. When God says to Abraham that all nations will be blessed through him, He's talking about Jesus. Period. Again, that's not to say that the reality of Christ in people's lives doesn't bless them using other means.
All in all a worthwhile read. I think he structures his book well, and gives plenty of practical ways to measure a transition to Missional Living. My only question, to be answered by time, is: This is what the attractional churches/church growth movement said - that they knew how God wanted them to grow the church. Is this just a fad or is it actually what McNeal claims it is?
I think the answer is somewhere in the middle of the pariah institution church (like the Catholic Church, for example) and the institution-less house Missional community. It's a great leadership book, less so a great ecclesiology book.
He does this to almost a social Gospel/ prosperity Gospel sense. Could leave the prosperity stuff, but life IS lived better when we follow God's design, whether the world would look at it as better or not. In addition, I think the conservative church (my own life included) has lacked in service to our neighbor, and could learn something from the types of church that serve others with abandon.
That being said, the dude is ARROGANT. OOF. I think that he makes great points, but his attitude of "this is what God wants us to do, and anyone who disagrees is too stuck in the institution" is a bit off-putting. I get what he's saying, but it is too much. He says that you can live the way things are going but in a "hey man, it's cool if you want to be wrong and bad, I just choose to be right" kind of way.
I also think he's missing the greatest blessing of Christianity it our lives. When God says to Abraham that all nations will be blessed through him, He's talking about Jesus. Period. Again, that's not to say that the reality of Christ in people's lives doesn't bless them using other means.
All in all a worthwhile read. I think he structures his book well, and gives plenty of practical ways to measure a transition to Missional Living. My only question, to be answered by time, is: This is what the attractional churches/church growth movement said - that they knew how God wanted them to grow the church. Is this just a fad or is it actually what McNeal claims it is?
I think the answer is somewhere in the middle of the pariah institution church (like the Catholic Church, for example) and the institution-less house Missional community. It's a great leadership book, less so a great ecclesiology book.
May 11, 2017
A good beginning discussion on what it means to be a Missional community. It addresses some of the challenges the church or group will face in trying to become this while also highlighting the need that there is in our culture to begin moving this way. I especially appreciate the emphasis on providing different measurables, things we see happening that means we are seeing progress and growth, other then out usual ones of people attending, money received and so on.
May 27, 2020
An important read for leaders seeking to make a disciple-making culture shift. McNeil gives some key indicators of what a new scorecard can look like for those moving from a program-driven approach to an outcome-oriented focus in ministry - the outcome being people who embrace and live the mission of the gospel of Jesus: a rhythm of life that is Christ-centred and others-focused.
May 27, 2019
Great challenge for Christians and church leaders to shift from institutional to apostolic thinking, and provides templates for how to start. The American church will either master this shift or flounder.
January 27, 2021
If I could give this book 6 stars, I would. It's exactly what the church needs today! We've got to rethink some thing, and McNeal expertly guides us into that exercise. This is a must read for our day.
April 11, 2019
Loved reading about how to reach the community outside of the walls of the church ❤️
February 3, 2021
This book presents the path forward for people who 'get it'. It being something to do with being missional, which means rejecting the status quo, and trying new things, I suppose. Honestly, I don't get 'it', and hope I don't catch it.
I appreciate the desire to press Christians to creatively engage in the world, but this is written with no clear understanding about what the church is according to Scripture. As a result, he perceives anything that whiffs of institutional as western cultural baggage and Christiany-creature comforts. If building projects and youth programs are all that the local church as an institution could mean, I'd be with him. But the Lord seems to have a much higher view of the local church.
I also don't understand how a book aiming to be 'missional' can neglect to even mention the reality of heaven, hell, and eternal judgment. Since those things don't factor in to the book, the new mission of the church is reduced to not much more than what philanthropy and moral micro-investors can accomplish.
There are some practical tips in here about engaging with your neighborhood, and leading by what you celebrate. But the gospel of Jesus Christ is diminished by its apparent irrelevance to the mission of the church. I don't that neglect is intentional, or malicious. Just the result of an approach to churchly relevance guided by the norms of culture and the framework of a materialist society despite its efforts to be revolutionary. Reading this book is not worth the tips.
I appreciate the desire to press Christians to creatively engage in the world, but this is written with no clear understanding about what the church is according to Scripture. As a result, he perceives anything that whiffs of institutional as western cultural baggage and Christiany-creature comforts. If building projects and youth programs are all that the local church as an institution could mean, I'd be with him. But the Lord seems to have a much higher view of the local church.
I also don't understand how a book aiming to be 'missional' can neglect to even mention the reality of heaven, hell, and eternal judgment. Since those things don't factor in to the book, the new mission of the church is reduced to not much more than what philanthropy and moral micro-investors can accomplish.
There are some practical tips in here about engaging with your neighborhood, and leading by what you celebrate. But the gospel of Jesus Christ is diminished by its apparent irrelevance to the mission of the church. I don't that neglect is intentional, or malicious. Just the result of an approach to churchly relevance guided by the norms of culture and the framework of a materialist society despite its efforts to be revolutionary. Reading this book is not worth the tips.
December 20, 2021
Heavy handed in criticizing the "non-missional church" but very helpful in the how-to of focusing ministry more outwardly.
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August 9, 2011In this book, Missional Renaissance, Reggie McNeal has managed to balance theory and practice. M.R. is a book that not only defines the shifts that need to be made in order to go missional, but provides very practical ways to measure if we are or are not accomplishing the shift.
The three shifts are (1) the shift from an internal to an external focus, (2) from program development to people development, and (3) from church-based to Kingdom-based leadership. These shifts are considered the "signature characteristics of what missional means."
With regard to the structure of the book, each shift is discussed in a chapter, which is followed by a chapter dealing with what McNeal calls a "scorecard" or "metric" to determine how successful that change is being accomplished. His contention is that we accomplish what is measured and celebrated. In the traditional church we have measured 'church-centric' issues such as attendance and offering. For McNeal, the missional scorecard is a 'resource allocation model,' in which the focus is on such resources as prayer, people, calendar, fincances, facilities, and technology.
The book does get repetitive at times, however, it is an easy read and very thought provoking.
The three shifts are (1) the shift from an internal to an external focus, (2) from program development to people development, and (3) from church-based to Kingdom-based leadership. These shifts are considered the "signature characteristics of what missional means."
With regard to the structure of the book, each shift is discussed in a chapter, which is followed by a chapter dealing with what McNeal calls a "scorecard" or "metric" to determine how successful that change is being accomplished. His contention is that we accomplish what is measured and celebrated. In the traditional church we have measured 'church-centric' issues such as attendance and offering. For McNeal, the missional scorecard is a 'resource allocation model,' in which the focus is on such resources as prayer, people, calendar, fincances, facilities, and technology.
The book does get repetitive at times, however, it is an easy read and very thought provoking.
July 7, 2012
This was an excellent summer 2012 vacation read. I think Reggie is right on with his 3 missional shifts: 1) from Internal Focus to External Focus 2)From Program Development to People Development 3)From Church-Based Leadership to Kingdom Based Leadership. As Reggie indicates, when we enact just one of the shifts we will end with a fad. All three are necessary. My personal focus of work is on shift #2, but all 3 are important. "if we only make the first shift without understanding and implement this one (the second, we wind up replacing an old program (church stuff) with a new program (community service)or another set of activiies layered on top of what is currently being done. People will be worn out, maybe even at an accelerated pace--the very opposite result of what needs to happen." I also, think the idea of a new scorecard for each of these is great. Reggie gives some good suggestions to draw from. As he says, "what gets rewarded is what gets done." One of my favorite quotes: "The notion of 'sentness' lies at the heart of the missional church because it reveals the heart of God."
May 25, 2009
Reggie McNeal scores again with this newest book. Here he suggests three major shifts that churches need to make as they turn the corner to more missional living. They need to move from an internal to external focus, from program development to people development, and from church-based to community-focused leadership. For those who have been in the conversation for a while these shifts won't come as new, but the biggest contribution is McNeal's emphasis on developing measurements for these shifts. "What gets measured gets done," he says repeatedly, and if want to move away from measuring church health by nickels and noses, we need new, missional-focused measures to take their place. Highly recommended!
September 8, 2009
More "missional" stupidity.
I REALLY like McNeal when I have heard him (briefly) in the past, but this book is more of the dumb-stuff. A HORRID use of the concept of "God's Mission" (perhaps they can read a WHOLE gospel for once - any of the 4 will do! and find that Jesus' "mission" is not solely to 'reach the lost' [another, vocabulary atrocity:]).
And to simply re-cast what has always been with a little more service and a little less "not internally focused" ...
When are ANY of these 'missional' writers/practitioners EVER going to address the root-cause of their frustration (which I share!)?!?!
And then to top it off with the RIDICULOUS ideas about "community"...
SO glad I didn't buy this book - hurray for the library.
I REALLY like McNeal when I have heard him (briefly) in the past, but this book is more of the dumb-stuff. A HORRID use of the concept of "God's Mission" (perhaps they can read a WHOLE gospel for once - any of the 4 will do! and find that Jesus' "mission" is not solely to 'reach the lost' [another, vocabulary atrocity:]).
And to simply re-cast what has always been with a little more service and a little less "not internally focused" ...
When are ANY of these 'missional' writers/practitioners EVER going to address the root-cause of their frustration (which I share!)?!?!
And then to top it off with the RIDICULOUS ideas about "community"...
SO glad I didn't buy this book - hurray for the library.
July 21, 2010
McNeal claims, “The rise of the missional church is the single biggest development in Christianity since the Reformation.” That’s quite a statement, but clearly the Church is undergoing a shaking unlike anything in generations. That is evident by the way many young people look at church; it’s the people, not a building. Thus, it doesn’t make sense to invest millions of dollars into an edifice where people gather for a couple of hours a week. Instead of trying to keep congregants comfy and entertained, the wise pastor now focuses on doing real community outreach that is more akin to Jesus’ ministry. Along with that, the day is over for churches that have only been concerned about raising more funds and filling more pews. It’s what goes on outside the facility that matters.
April 30, 2016
I certainly believe there is a lot of great content in this book about being missional. There were a few chapters that I struggled through because I believe that the church is called to the Great Commission which says to make disciples of all nations. I do not believe that the main purpose of the church is to fight for social justice or feed the poor. Please hear me out; we are called to make disciples, and as people are being discipled, they begin to understand the heart of Jesus which is to love others and meet needs. So as we make disciples who have the heart of Jesus, they reach out and help the poor, the disadvantaged, and the abused. It is a natural byproduct of making disciples.
May 6, 2011
I enjoyed the book, not as a whole, but in bits and pieces. I like the beginning. I liked the end. Maybe that says more about me as a person, a reader, than it says about the content of the book. There are a few nuggets I've put in my pocket and will take with me. For those of you that follow closely, I would recommend you read Unchanging Mission and skip this one because they say the same thing...Douglas Webster just does a better job. There are certainly some excellent resources within the pages so I'm sure I'll place it on my bookshelf in case I need to dig those out some day.
August 4, 2011
There has never been a time in the twenty-century history of the Christian Church when somebody didn't think they could do it better. Some of these have been burned as heretics; others are revered as great reformers of the Church. The difference seems most often the product of historical accident. Reggie McNeal has written several books about how the Church is changing and ought to change. He carefully explains that everyone who does not agree fully with him is part of the problem and wil... (show more)
February 13, 2015
"That was my idea!" was my thought every other page. This book was validating and pointed a way forward for established churches to be Christian and make disciples in the 21st century. It was slim on scriptural illustration, seeming to be informed by business leadership literature. I'm also uncertain whether it had much of value to share with a congregation that's not stable or is struggling for resources. He is, in a sense, speaking to churches with problems that many mainline Protestant congregations wish* they had.
April 7, 2015
Easy and quick read. Designed to get churches to think about changing lives an stepping out and refocusing ministry externally. It is a good volume for those first coming to these issues and recommend it for that alone. The weakness of this approach to mission is that it fails to deal with the question of how does one keep a community together. Healthy and effective missional churches in the long run will both care for those who make up the community (think the letters of John in the NT) while ministering to , proclaiming to and serving the world (think the book of Acts.)
May 12, 2016
I started reading this book and then recognized that I needed to go and read McNeal's first book (The Present Future) first. I did and found that these two books go together very well. I wish I had read this book in 2009 instead of bothering with Brian McLaren's stuff.
Once again a lot of highlights so I can't put them here. (I didn't read this one on kindle). This will definitely be recommended to my board along with McNeal's other book!
Once again a lot of highlights so I can't put them here. (I didn't read this one on kindle). This will definitely be recommended to my board along with McNeal's other book!
April 19, 2013
Reggie McNeal is one of the voices challenging the church to rethink the way it views success as it enters a new age. Reggie asks a lot of helpful questions and points in the direction of some helpful answers. This is his third book pushing the church to ask some tough questions going forward. This is a quick read and well worth the effort.
May 7, 2011
This was an interesting read. It was a bit repetitive and while it gave a lot of examples it didn't really give a plan for how to shift the paradigm from attractional to missional. He gave a scorecard but...
July 1, 2020
Following up on the "new scorecard" idea from "Present Future." Talks of three missional shifts: from internal to external, from program development to people development, and from church based to Kingdom based. Lots of practical (though sometimes obvious) suggestions.
July 8, 2012
I enjoyed this book by McNeal and had some great takeaways. I think one of the great gifts that McNeal has given the church is the language around the scorecard and a different way for the church to look at accountability and evaluation. This was a good read.
February 28, 2013
This was required reading...the concept is good and putting it into action (especially for us older folks) might be interesting. Really don't know how to rate it. I probably would NOT have picked it on my own to read.
January 14, 2014
The only reason I haven't finished reading this book is because I have read enough written along these lines for what the amount of knowledge I need at this point in time. Will reread/finish it when the time is right and when I need what's in it.
March 19, 2009
Reggie did not disappoint with this book. A great explanation of the Missional Church.
November 4, 2009
crisp, insightful and to the point of where the church needs to be going as it shifts from club membership to transformational impact
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews