PEOPLE IN PRINT
January 1, 1991
Church Life: The Next Generation
Dying for Change by Leith Anderson, Bethany House, $11.95
Reviewed by Dave Wilkinson, pastor of Moorpark (California) Presbyterian Church
I was warned I would be arrested if I opened the book. So I read myself my rights, pocketed a quarter to call my lawyer, and opened to the introduction. Within a few words I felt the cuffs snap around my wrist and heard the door clang closed behind me. I had to finish it. The cover of Dying for Change had described it well: "An Arresting Look at the New Realities Confronting Churches and Para-Church Ministries."
Author Leith Anderson, senior pastor of Wooddale Church in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, loves the church and cares for its ministry. But he's also concerned: "An estimated 85 percent of America's Protestant churches are either stagnating or dying," he says. His purpose in writing this book is to help churches recognize current social trends and adapt to the new spiritual and social realities, thus revitalizing their mission in their communities.
For example, Anderson touches on the changing ethnic makeup of America, the "graying" (aging) of America, the new role of women, and the decline in the work ethic, among other relevant social trends.
Take our increasing mobility, for instance. Anderson notes that not only are we increasingly mobile geographically, but also ecclesiastically. "Once upon a time," he writes, "churches were seen as destinations. When you found the church you wanted to join, you stayed with it through good and bad times. With the present mobility mentality, churchgoers now see specific churches as 'way stations' along the journey of life. They may join one church for a certain chapter of their lives but have no difficulty moving along ...
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