Simple Church
I finally had a chance to read the book Simple Church by Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger. It’s been on my list for the last year or more, but I didn’t prioritize it. I wish I had. Honestly, I think it’s one of the top five books I’ve read on church ministry. This is one of those every-church-leader-should-read books. Great, great insights. I wish I would have written this book, because it certainly captures my heart for the local church.
Here are some of the highlights from my reading:
- “Churches with a simple process for reaching and maturing people are expanding the kingdom.”
- “Many of our churches have become cluttered. So cluttered that people have a difficult time encountering the simple and powerful message of Christ.”
- “Great amounts of activity do not produce life change. It only gives the impression that things are happening, that there is life.”
- “If the purpose is hazy, the process for making the purpose happen has not entered the picture.”
- “If the goal is to keep certain things going, the church is in trouble. The end result must always be about people. Programs should only be tools.”
- “The goal is to partner with God to move people through the stages of spiritual growth. Changed lives are the bottom line, the intended end result. Christ formed in people is the goal.”
- “The first group consisted of growing and healthy churches. These churches had grown 5 percent a year for three consecutive years. Few churches do that. Sadly, less than 2 percent of all churches in America experience that type of consistent growth.”
- “Some churches are not clear on a ministry process because they do not have one.”
- “Focus does not make church leaders popular.”
- “To be simple you have to eliminate the unnecessary. Most of the things you eliminate will be good things. They were started with a passionate leader and a perceived or real need.”
- “People will not live out something they cannot remember.”
- “When you are tired of talking about it, people will just be in the first stages of understanding.”
- “Sadly, in many churches people are stuck in the same place spiritually. And there is no intentional process to move them.”
- “You must begin with the process, not the programs… If the programs do not fit into your process, you need to eliminate them.”
- “Choose one program for each phase of your process… Multiple programs for each phase of the process divide attention and energy.”
- “Church leaders must avoid the two extremes of micromanagement and neglect. Micromanagement stifles creativity and hampers shared leadership. Neglect fosters complacency and leads to a fragmented team.”
- “One would think that the more programs and the more special events that are offered, the great the impact. Our research has confirmed that the opposite is true.”
- “The churches that experienced the highest percentages of growth were the churches that offered fewer programs.”
- “The majority of churches choose not to change. They would rather die. Tragically, in most churches, the pain of change is greater than the pain of ineffectiveness.”
Sweet stuff!
This book is now next on my ‘got to read that there book’ list! :)
Thanks for the highlights (it has inspired me)!
pudge
The last point was the most shocking!
Tony, I agree – what a great read. I heard Chuck Swindoll recommend “Toxic Faith” yesterday in a sermon which sounds like a great read, great follow-up book. It’s about how churches can manipulate and abuse people with religion and spiritual programs.
I LOVE this book! Sometimes I wish that I have never had read it… it got me so fired up on how we do ministry here and whether or not we’re actually effective at making mature disciples of Christ… and since I’m the associate pastor it’s been a fun challenge trying to respect senior leadership and at the same time be the second-chair leader I’m supposed to be :)
This book, in my opinion (whatever that is worth) is MUST reading for all senior pastors, staff, elders and deacons.
Absolutely one of the best books I have read on why and how we do church. I’ve been a promoter for this book for the last month since I finished reading it. Should be required reading for all pastors and everyone in Seminary. I have shared it with one of my church’s leaders, and am praying it grips him like it gripped me.
Chris Meirose
http://mrclm.blogspot.com
This book just straight ROCKS, and will rock your your world if you are able to see it and grasp it’s message. this was the best book I have read in a long time. In addition for pastors who are trying to simplify church in order to break out of a rut in their church I would recommend Thom’s other great book “Breakout Churches” which is another eye opener.
It is a fantastic book. We’re reading through it as a leadership team next month.
I love the part where the authors talk about gates, and how gates don’t play offense – they protect stuff, and how the gates of hell will not overcome the church; I get chills thinking about it (I can’t think of the right phrasing, but it’s a great insight, I thought)
A simple revolution has begun; clarity, movement, alignment, focus….anybody up for a revival?! It’s coming.
Thanks Tony. I passed this on to some friends who were wanting to read Simple Church, but you NAILED it and it will save them time.
thanks for that
it is also on my list, and I have even though about sharing it from the pulpit after reading
Sweet stuff…I’m on a message planning retreat right now at a killer retreat center and just finished reading this book today! You’re dead on in your review. I’ve had the book for 6 months and wish I’d read it sooner…a definite must read for anyone who leads organizational development.
Tony — thanks so much for the great feedback on Simple Church. Honored and humbled.
Your recent blog post on branding (sub-branding for us) is set to be a topic of discussion at our upcoming management team retreat — as we seek to further simplify our communication.
Staying Focused on the Long-Term
How committed are you to your mission? When you evaluate your organization do you find traces of previous compromise? Maybe the remnants of earlier cave-ins where you allowed your better judgment to be swayed by a quick fix? I devoured
I read it today too! Though I would not place it on my top five books. Here’s why:
First, it does not appear that they asked the growing churches they surveyed where their “growth” was coming from. Much of it could have been transfer growth.
Second, it seems they only surveyed larger churches (of 300 or more) and churches with buildings. It seems to me that some of the most “simple” churches in the country are house churches (of 30 or less). It would be interesting to see if his stats fit with house churches.
Finally, it seems that there is a real break down in the ability of the churches that were surveyed to get their people into community service (mission). Though the people may be progressing through the simplified discipleship track, few make it to the goal of mission involvement. I wonder if this isn’t because Mission should be placed first, as suggested by other books on the market (e.g. The Forgotten Ways).
Of course, despite these “complaints” of mine, I do think it is a really good book since most churches do need drastic simplification.
We just finished reading this as a staff last year and are evaluating of ministry process or lack there of. So far all of our key leaders have really enjoyed the book and come up with some great suggestions. Keep it simple stupid. You get that message in “Simple Church”, “Good to Great”, and “Made to Stick”.
Powerful post. This will be the next book I read.
it’s a great book with some fantastic ideas…it’s really revolutionized the way our church approaches planning and programs.
thx for your consistently stellar insight
This is a great book, and we are using many of these principles in our new church plant in Kiev, Ukraine. It is always more difficult to simplify a church that has grown large, complex and a bit scattered in their vision. We are enjoying applying these ideas in the very beginning. God bless