A Mainline Turnaround

The twin towers of the World Trade Center fell on September 11, 2001, because they were subjected to conditions they were never designed to bear. However unwittingly, in effect they were designed to fail when the unexpected happened. So it is, says Lyle Schaller, with mainline Protestant congregations and denominations. Designed to meet the needs of previous generations, they were destined to fail when the needs of current generations diverged radically from those of the predecessors--as indeed they have. But it is not too late for these churches to reinvent themselves, to redesign their ministries, programs, and mission to focus on those born after 1960. With his customary insight and broad-ranging perspective, Schaller offers prescriptions for how mainline churches can respond to the needs of a new era.Read less