Recent years have seen a flood of evangelical literature on the emergence of the postmodern era. Books on Generation X, the pluralist society, postcritical theory have all served to heighten the awareness that our societies have been going through some tremendous changes. Slowly we are coming to understand that these changes might be more permanent then we originally thought.
Most of these publications have expressed a large amount of concern. Some have rejected the postmodern era as the last place we would want to go. Others have sought to demonstrate the amount of ways in which postmodern thought falls short of the Kingdom of God. A few have been moderately positive, seeking to bring a balance.

Among these books Reinventing the church comes as a refreshing wind. First, McLaren demonstrates a clear understanding of what the postmodern era is all about, the sense of insecurity it brings, and the challenges it creates for the church.

McLaren sees the future as full of opportunities - provided that the church will rise to the challenge. To that end McLaren provides 12 strategies which he believes will position churches so that they can be more effective in fulfilling its mission.
McLaren is very clear about what he sees as the mission of the church, and he puts it very succinctly: producing more Christians, and building better Christians.

McLaren’s strategies are reminiscent of many things. He openly gives credit to what he has learned from Willow Creek, yet clearly this isn’t just a Willow Creek book. He combines insights from many different sources, becoming as eclectic as the postmodern context around him. In it all he displays a desire for a holistic understanding of reality, and he refuses to exalt one strategy as more crucial than another. Neither does he limit himself to the strategies he describes, but instead dedicates a brief thirteenth chapter to the reader pursuing additional strategies. They key to effective church-ministry is that we constantly interact with our environment, constantly honing our skills and increasing our understanding. As McLaren puts it: the future belongs not to the learned, but to the learners.

The high point of the book for me comes when McLaren starts discussing postmodern people in chapter 11 and 12. Up till then he has displayed an understanding of the context in which we live without ever using the word ‘Postmodern’. When he does talk about Postmodern people, however, McLaren displays a great understanding, and a kindness towards them that is not so common on evangelical literature so far.