Church: Plain and Simple

According to a CDC (Centers for Disease Control) article, "American society has become 'obesogenic,' characterized by environments that promote increased food intake, nonhealthful foods, and physical inactivity." ("Obesity and Overweight") Our penchant for indulging in excess extends beyond food. Just watch an episode of Clean House or Wa$ted! and note the dramatic spike in tension that erupts when families learn they must part with some of their many material goods.

Our current economic recession is causing many of us to re-examine our consumer habits. How much is enough? Have we confused need with greed? Is there a saner approach to life?

In the fourth chapter of Change the World by Michael Slaughter, the author presents various ways that the church can streamline and simplify itself in order to accomplish more for Christ

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The Problem With Unwieldy Systems

Slaughter notes that in the 1990s many megachurches embraced the 24/7 or "seven-day-a-week" church model. Members chose from a cafeteria-style list of options, offering age-level ministries, slick audio-video music productions, physical fitness programs, gift shops, and more. To manage this plethora of activities, churches created a complex system of staff, finance, and management teams that rivaled some small corporations; then came the financial downturn. Without sufficient funding, many of these complex systems collapsed.

What is needed is a simpler, reproducible approach to ministry.

Church Simplified

Thom Rainer, author of Simple Church, suggests churches design a streamlined, straightforward, strategic process that moves people through stages of spiritual growth.

Other authors echo a similar need for simplified approaches to ministry.

Harold Percy, author of Your Church Can Thrive, asks a fundamental question churches should consider in their quest toward simplicity. First, consider the perspective of the people the church is trying to reach. Then ask, "What do we [the congregation] want to see happen as a result of their coming within the sphere of influence of our ministry?" (Your Church Can Thrive, , p. 23)

What's on Your Top Ten List?

Later in the book, Percy lists ten things a church should teach people to help them develop as disciples of Jesus Christ. Here's a synopsis:

1. What is the good news all about?
2. What is the function of church?
3. How can you read the Bible intelligently and responsibly?
4. How do you pray?
5. What is the ministry of reconciliation?
6. What is the purpose of worship?
7. What are the principles of stewardship?
8. How do you develop a Christian mind?
9. Why is it important to bear witness to Christ?
10. What should we know about the person and ministry of the Holy Spirit?

There should be a simple, well-publicized list of core expectations and clear steps for people to follow in their quest toward development as disciples.

How Do You Keep Score?

Reggie McNeal, author of Missional Renaissance: Changing the Scorecard for the Church, speaks of churches changing the scorecard used to measure their "success." Churches that emphasize the attractional model focus on attendance and giving as major determinants of success. Missional churches transition from a church-centered focus to a kingdom-centered focus -- a process that shifts congregations from an internal to an external missional priority. In short, it means shifting from viewing church (the building) as a place to attract people to church as a place to empower and send people into mission.

Simplify Your Structure

Slaughter urges churches to lower their debt burden by deemphasizing their physical plant. Think more about empowering people for ministry in mobile ways. We live in an age in which people can communicate instantly through cyberspace -- do we really need as many meeting rooms as we once did?

Many churches invested heavily in professional staff to produce programs of excellence. How often has the expectation of excellence produced barriers to participation by "regular folks" and created a spectator culture? What would happen if the focus shifted to teaching people how to relate in small groups? Create places in which people learn to care for, pray with, and engage in self-initiated ministry.

The church used to be the third place (beyond where we live and work). Now church is frequently seen as an irrelevant institution. A USA Today article stated that "young adults born in the 1980s and 1990s, approximately 72 million people, want to make an impact and are socially-conscious yet do not relate to traditional institutional structures. A decreasing number of these young adults view churches as places to make a difference or to develop their leadership skills." (As quoted in "Evangelism and the Under-Thirty Crowd".)

The cry for relevant, relational, action-oriented churches abounds. The answer to this cry is not more complexity; it is, rather, more simplicity.

Next Steps

1. With the leaders of your congregation, watch an episode of Clean House or Wa$ted! Discuss the challenges posed by material goods when enough becomes too much. How might our stuff be redeemed to help others?
   
2. Consider creating small groups that discuss the preceding week's sermon to build relational house communities. (See Sticky Church.)
   
3. Create a "Top Ten" list of core discipleship goals and expectations for your local congregation. Put a plan in action to assist people in reaching the discipleship goals listed.
   
4. Discuss ways to expand ministry without expanding your physical plant. Consider online options for meetings, briefings, and communication.
   
5. Read chapter four of Change the World and chapter six of Richard Foster's classic, Celebration of Discipline. Discuss places in which your congregation might simplify processes and facilitate greater ministry.

Related Resources

Online Articles
"Evangelism and the Under-Thirty Crowd"

Videos

Watch video clips from Enough DVD:

• Faith in the Midst of Financial Crisis
• Created for Generosity
• The Spiritual Causes of Financial Crisis

Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence, on Compassion

Website:Rethink Church

Print

• Change the World by Michael Slaughter
• Everything Must Change by Brian McClaren
• Simple Churchby Thom Rainer
• Your Church Can Thrive by Harold Percy
• Journey to the Common Good by Walter Brueggemann
• Celebration of Discipline (Chapter 6 on Simplicity)
• Sticky Church
• Missional Renaissance: Changing the Scorecard for the Church by Reggie McNeal