Several years ago Gordon MacDonald wrote a book, about a church and the people who didn’t realize just how much they needed to and wanted to change the way they were doing things. Going Deep: Becoming a Person of Influence picks up where that book left off.
This is the story of a church that has transitioned over time, and become a relevant entity in its community. But now it’s time for the next step. Dr MacDonald, pastor, author, educator, in his role as pastor of this transforming church has a conversation with a neighbor, a neighbor who doesn’t go to church, but who has some good ideas. He asks “GMAC” for an elevator story of the church, and the process begins.
Many churches have it down pat when it comes to doing what they need to be doing to further the kingdom today, but MacDonald and his leadership team, the people that are committed to going deep, take it a step further. They become intentional about finding deep people and training them. These people are being trained to train others and to be future leaders.
It’s not all easy, and we get a glimpse of the conflicts that arise when certain people aren’t chosen. We see the heartbreak when someone drops out, the joy when people are transformed, and we get to experience grace in many different ways.
Seminary still has its place for training church leaders, but this book shows that much of the ‘nuts and bolts’ training can and should be done at the level of the local church.
This book is an enjoyable read, but it lacks some of the enthusiasm of Who Stole My Church.
4.5/5
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my review.
