My Boss Scott recommended this book to me. It is written by Gordon MacDonald, and is written narrative style. Narrative style is where the truth of the book is conveyed through the story of real or fictional people. Their experiences teach the lesson.My leadership GURU, Patrick Lencioni, also writes in this style.... and to be honest, it is my favorite style to read.
so what is "Who Stole my Church" all about?
Has your Church been Hijacked?
Millions of people in their fifties, sixties, and seventies feel their churches have been hijacked by church-growth movements characterized by loud praise bands, constant PowerPoint presentations, and cavernous megachurches devoid of any personal touch. They are bewildered by the changes, and are dropping out after thirty, forty, or fifty years in a congregation. It’s a crisis!
In this fictional story, pastor and author Gordon MacDonald uses topical examples and all-too-familiar characters to reassure readers that it is possible to embrace change, and to demonstrate how that change can actually be a positive influence in their church. The church, he says, has always been in a state of change; it has been changing for the last two thousand years. It is time to embrace that change and use it further the Kingdom of God
Having lived through a few tough church situations, all I could think about while I read this book was how timely it it. I "knew" every character in the book because I had run into them, usually on the other side of a disagreement about how church should be done.
The book tries to paint a picture of how a dialogue could be opened between the generations to create a road to the future that we could all travel together...
Having seen this process fail, I struggled to not be cynical with the books attempt to realistically paint this story. That said, I think that Gordon is right that this is exactly the only way we can move forward together....
The book is great, read it if you get the chance...
