There are the Truths of the Bible. Then there are the "truisms" of churches. You'd be amazed to know how many church leaders have fallen captive to some of the following "truisms" about churches:

• If you build the perfect church they will come
• Growing your church will automatically make a difference in the community
• Developing better church members will result in greater evangelism
• The church needs more workers for church work
• Better planning will get you where you want to go

If you believe these ideas, get ready for a CCN broadcast that will challenge your thinking. Church consultant and author Reggie McNeal debunks these and other assumption in The Future Church.

“ The American culture no longer props up the church the way it did, no longer automatically accepts the church as a player at the table in public life, and can be downright hostile to the church’s presence,” Reggie says.

Reggie identifies important realities that church leaders must address, including:

• Recapturing the spirit of Christianity
• Replacing church growth with kingdom growth
• Developing disciples instead of church members
• Fostering the rise of new leadership to meet the needs of new realities
• Focusing on spiritual formation rather than church programs
• Shifting from prediction and planning to preparation for challenges

Reggie believes that by changing the questions church leaders ask themselves about their congregations and their plans, they can approach the future with new eyes, new purpose, and new ideas.

The future is now!

Reggie McNeal is the Director of Leadership Development for the South Carolina Baptist Convention. He counsels local churches, denominations, seminaries and colleges, and parachurch organizations in areas of leadership development. He is also the author of The Present Future: Six Tough Questions for the Church; A Work of the Heart: Understanding How God Shapes Spiritual Leaders; and Revolution in Leadership: Training Apostles for Tomorrow’s Church.