Book notes: SiMPLE CHURCH

Yesterday, I read through the book, SiMPLE CHURCH; Returning to God's Process for Making Disciples by Thom S. Rainer and Eric Geiger. This would be a helpful book for members of the Compelling Vision Team to read or consider.

Geiger is a fairly young pastor and author; Rainer has been writing for church growth for quite a while. They admit that this "simplifying" is not easy, especially not for established churches. I kind of wish they had put their last chapter first; it helped to read that "for some these [four] steps will take several months. For others these steps will take several years. Remember, the longer your church has been complex, the harder the transition will be" (p. 236).

The four steps are...
1) design a simple process (clarity)
This could be our elusive "purpose" or "compelling vision" that some of us at MLC are trying to discover and define. Rainer and Geiger call it "clarity" and suggest that it completes the following statement: "Disciples at our church are: ____________, ____________, ____________ and ____________" (p.237). (Limited to three or four actions/description words or phrases; and each tends to suggest a deeper or more involved level of discipleship.)

2) place your key programs along the process (movement)
Each of the descriptions of "what disciples are" should have one major church-wide "program" that helps move disciples from one level into the next. Each program might or might not have several/many subdivisions according to age groups, small group or ministry team emphases. The main point is that the purpose (vision or "what") statement is also your process (or "how") statement.

3) unite all ministries around the process (alignment)
The purpose and process defines why and how your church does ministry, what ministries get resourced, through what means new concerns or emphases will be implemented (usually through the existing programs), who and how the church recruits or hires, even what announcements are made at a Sunday service.

4) begin to eliminate things outside the process (focus)
"Some people will struggle with abandoning other programs to focus solely on the ministry process God has given your church. Some of the programs will have deep traditions and rich history. You must use wisdom in step 4" (p. 240). They state that even "successful" programs with strong leadership and good attendance may actually be causing "congestion" - using the time, space, church resources, volunteers that might otherwise be used for a program/s that more effectively help make or nurture disciples to different levels of maturity or involvement. People are longing for simplicity, and yet we are addicted to our complex lives, in and outside of the church.

Several studies have shown rather conclusively that churches do "less" better than "more." The more "complex" a church is--the more programs, special events, unrelated small groups or ministry teams, etc.--the less likely they are to grow or thrive in their communities.

Here's Rainer and Geiger's definition of a "Simple Church": "a congregation designed around a straightforward and strategic process that moves people through the stages of spiritual growth" (p. 60). Later, they expand on this by adding: "The leadership and the church are clear about the process (clarity) and are committed to executing it. The process flows logically (movement) and is implemented in each area of the church (alignment). The church abandons everything that is not in the process (focus)" (pp. 67-68).

This book kept me up late, both in the reading and turning it over and over in my head. The last couple stages are obviously the difficult ones. I was reminded of a number of years ago when I began to develop a Disciples 101 thru' 401 series to support both our Mission Statement and Marks of Discipleship, then a series of brochures that assigned the various ministry and program opportunties according to each of words of our mission slogan: "Gather, Grow, Glorify, and Go!"

Attempts like mine to use and adapt other resources and systems, along with churches that have several or many different mission statements, slogans, etc., are all the symptoms of complexity that this book is addressing. There is much to learn from their study and four steps. The identity marker at MLC that causes me hesitation: we are still a community center... for many folks and groups in and outside of the congregation. But, perhaps, there is a way to address it within our vision/purpose.

I have been thinking about all of my reading so far this summer, and am beginning to have some thoughts about how well our sacraments may fit and flow in describing our purpose and process. I've been sketching out my thoughts on paper, but this blog entry is long enough; I don't want to make it any more complex. maybe in the next week or two...