Friday, December 29, 2006

Missional Interview with Reggie McNeal

I had the privilege to sit and talk with Reggie McNeal over lunch during one of his conferences.


Reggie is best known for his book The Present Future: Six Tough Questions for the Church you can also get a copy of his seminar on the book here. I would highly recommend both.

You can also find his bio here.
We talked and then I asked him several questions.

The following is the answers he gave me.

Q. 1. Reggie how do you define missional?

A. Joining God in His redemptive work, here and now. It's something to be done and not just talked about.

Q. 2. What flipped your missional switch?

A. It's always been on my mind. I did the church growth "thing" during that movement, but I was never really satisfied with it. I've always been about asking the question "How can the Church be the Church?" that answer is not found in a bigger institution or better leadership. So I've always been moving towards a missional mindset.

Q. 3. How will missional change come to the church?

A. It will come in stages. It will not happen overnite but will slow and dramatically change. But I must say this, renewal will not happen for the church, when we are trying to renew the church. If making a greater church is our goal, then we will fail. Renewal will come when we ourselves have been renewed with God's missional passion and we in turn pass that along to our churches.

What will happen to the institutional church?

A. The IC will become just one form among many. There will be many different forms of church meeting many different needs. Maybe a family will move into a high rise of 300 apartments and claim that as their mission field and start an organic group there. Knowing that 95% of the people in that building don't go to church. That family will becoming the church to that place.

Q. 5. What one book would you recommend?

A. The Present Future: Six Tough Questions for the Church

Thanks Reggie for taking the time to answer and share these insights with us! In my opinion Reggie is really one of the fathers of the missional church movement. His thoughts are practical and moving. If you've not read 6 questions you need to.

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2 comments:

Lon said...

Awesome that you got to interview Reggie. and thanks for dropping my blog... i guess you're into all things mission.

Unknown said...

I'm not familiar with Reggie McNeal. I'll have to get the book because he shared some great insights.

Thanks for another great article, Jerry.