Simple Church: Return to God’s Process for Making Disciples
(Rainer and Geiger)
This is a very easy to read and understand assessment of the church in America. The authors provide research to support the assertion that church in America has become complex; leaving a simple strategy that attracts people and moves them into deeper levels of commitment to Christ and the community.
“If anyone’s work that he has built survives, he will receive a reward.” — Paul, 1 Corinthians 3:14 (Clarity)
How to get started:
- Determine what type of disciple you wish to produce in your church (like passionate lovers of God desiring to serve others).
- Describe your purpose as a process (expecting movement and spiritual growth).
- Decide how each weekly program is part of the process (how a program used to move people through the process).
Illustration:
- The illustration should reflect your process (which reflects the reality of the process).
- The illustration should show progression (Rick Warren used the baseball diamond).
- The illustration should help simplify (don’t use symbols with hidden meanings that need clarification).
Measurement:
- Learn to view numbers horizontally, not vertically – vertically numbers how many people are participating in each event or group. Horizontally measures how many are moving within the process.
- Measure attendance at each level in the process – how many are plugged in and then measure the movement.
Ongoing conversation:
- View everything through the lens of your simple process, the blueprint.
- Surface the process in meetings.
- Test leaders on it (like fill in the blanks of the illustration).
- Brainstorm new ways to communicate the process.
Increased understanding:
- Articulate the process corporately (repeating significant things, from the top down).
- Share the process interpersonally (not just from the pulpit, but around dinner tables and at meetings).
- Live the process personally (live what you are asking your people to do). The difference between a travel agent and a river guide, is that the travel guide sets up your journey and turns you loose, while the river guide actually takes you on the journey, knowing all the rough spots and helps you through.