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Who Stole My Church?: What to Do When the Church You Love Tries to Enter the 21st Century

Gordon MacDonald
Thomas Nelson, Inc. (2008)
ISBN 9780785226017
Reviewed by Leslie Storey for RebeccasReads (5/08)

Author Gordon MacDonald has been a pastor and author for 40+ years and is a former president of World Relief and currently serves as chairman.  He also serves as editor-at-large for Leadership Journal.  He has written several other books including “A Resilient Life,” “The Life God Blesses,” “Renewing Your Spiritual Passion,” “Rebuilding Your Broken World,” the best-seller “Ordering Your Private World,” and “When Men Think Private Thoughts.”

While “Who Stole My Church?” is a non-fiction book, the author has fictionalized the subject making it much easier to read.  This story is based on his experience as a pastor and the characters are those that you might find in your church sitting next to you each Sunday.   

This book addresses the ever-changing world and what churches (and really any organization) need to take into consideration in order to survive with the technological savvy younger generation without alienating the older generation. It can be tricky to convince those that are set in their ways that change is a good thing. The author is also able to pull in scripture to illustrate his points as well as ask questions of the older generation about things that they did that moved the church to make changes which may have met with resistance from their parents, but in the end was a good change to make and was accepted by their parents and the older generations at that time. 

Not all of the characters in the author’s story embrace change and some rebel against it.   However, many learn through the lessons taught by the pastor and by meeting the younger members of the church what inspires this generation and what motivates them to spread the word of God.  This is what any church needs to do for continual growth and success, make sure it meets the needs of its congregation. 

I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did, and found myself relating the premise of the book not only to churches but really any organization.  The dynamics are very interesting and I fall somewhere in the middle, liking some tradition but realizing we have to appeal to the younger generations to draw them into the church if we want to ensure that their spiritual needs are being met.

“Who Stole My Church?” is recommended for anyone that wants to understand how to deal with change within a church and how to put the appropriate spin on that change so that everyone wins in the end.

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