Introduction:
Are some churches too complicated? That is the question that was addressed and discussed in the book Simple Church written by Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger. According to the research they conducted among 400 evangelical churches- some were growing and vibrant churches and some were nongrowing and struggling churches- the answer was a resounding “yes!” To prove this point, throughout the book Rainer and Geiger juxtapose two churches (note: these are not the real church names but serve as examples): one is named First Church and is stagnant and not growing; the second is named Cross Church and is growing and vibrant. After examining both churches thoroughly by evaluating their statements, pastor, leaders, programming, staffing, calendar, numbers, new ideas, how they give announcements, and the overall experience on a Sunday, it was clear as to why one church was dragging and one church was thriving- one church was complicated and one church was simple. Throughout the book Rainer and Geiger layout the process and structure for how churches can put aside the complicated and congested way of doing things and adopt the simple process. This happens through churches having clarity, movement, alignment, and focus.
Summary:
To lay a foundation for the direction of the book, Rainer and Geiger begin with the cultures seemingly new attraction to being simple. They use examples from modern day corporate giants like Google, Apple, Papa Johns, Southwest Airlines, along with vocations such as graphic designers, interior designers, and marketers to show how the world we live in is striving to regain being simple and dropping the complicated. Rainer and Geiger implore churches to follow suit and become simple. A simple church, accordin...
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...e lost are worth it. People’s eternities are worth it.
The question to myself and my fellow ministry leaders is this- will we do the hard work of examining our lives and ministries to see how we can trim spiritual and ministerial fat and slim down to become simple? Whatever answer we choose has consequences. If we choose no, the consequences will be diluted programs, unclear vision, dis-unified staff, and “super-size me” churches that are so busy that nobody in the city is reached with the gospel. However, if the answer is yes, churches and ministries can gain clarity in vision and process for making disciples, along with movement towards greater spiritual growth, alignment in vision, and focus on the things that God has called them to. For me personally, I’m saying “yes!” and can’t wait to see what God has in store as I strive to implement a simple church model.
In his essay, “The Evolution of Simplicity,” American conservative political and cultural commentator David Brooks examines the modern obsession with the simplification of life. His essay hints at man’s tendency to overcomplicate various aspects of day-to-day activities and failure to appreciate life for its true beauty. Brooks warns that this over complication of the nation can leave us swamped with stress and spread to thin, spending too much of our energy and focus on unimportant and virtually irrelevant facets of our existence.
The thesis of the book Deep and Wide by Adam Stanley is simply put as making a church that the unchurched can’t resist to attend. This book may cause controversy in some Christian circles by leaving a traditional church view of the church’s purpose being for the churched, however, in this paradigm shift Stanley presents that the church’s purpose should be to reach the unchurched in order for people to receive the Gospel that would never step foot into a traditional church. Stanley has shown results with this mission and method by North Point Churches growth from its start with him as a church planter and senior pastor. Deep and Wide challenges the pastor to refocus and seriously convict them
Southland Christian Church, one of several worship centers in the United States that has earned the moniker “Six Flags over Jesus,” is Lexington’s largest megachurch. With a weekly attendance of 8,000 people and an operating budget that supports a staff of over eighty members, Southland far exceeds most U.S. congregations in terms of financial resources and social clout. In recent years, popular and scholarly studies have attempted to situate the megachurch movement within a broad cultural context. Although the majority of these analyses dispute the precise definition of a megachurch, most distinguish these multiplex sanctuaries from smaller worship communities by using the same criteria—i.e. weekly attendance, campus acreage, annual budget, etc.—that megachurches themselves draw on to represent their own success. [2] However, the essence of a megachurch is not its large buildings, but rather the theology of consumption that informs its programming.[3] In this way, a megachurch ethos has infiltrated even the smallest congregations in the United States and has helped to solidify Christianity’s inextricable connection to consumer capitalism. To those who see megachurches as symptomatic of a flawed Christianity, market-minded church growth confounds one of the faith’s oldest dualities, the contradiction of living in the world without conforming to its ways, as Paul puts it in Romans 12. Megachurches at once reject “the world” and participate in it by seeking to win the lost and wow the consumer at the same time.
In my paper I will talk about my visit to The Community Church at Murphy's Landing (CCML). I have chosen this particular Church because it is a family church type and my neighbor goes there and she encouraged me to go with her. I went there with my neighbor on April 6, 2014.This church is an appropriate for this assignment because the people there are welcoming me with an open heart and they are willing to help and provide me with information. When I visit the Church’s site I read these words “We know visiting a new church can be intimidating. But, we want to help you to be as comfortable as possible when and if you join us”. The people gather in the church weekly to glorify God in joyful worship. The expressions of worship on CCML take many forms a prayer, a hymn of reverent awe, a guitar ringing with a chorus of praise, or a warm handshake and a welcoming smile. Their weekly services begin at 9:30 each Sunday at church. Also, they have weekly podcast if anyone wants to listen online. They have many types of services for parents, kids and students. People at CCML were so friendly; they gather around me and start welcoming me, one by one. People there introducing themselves to me, one after another and provide me with their contact information and help. Then we start talking about the church services and Christianity in particular. The mission of CCML was knowing, growing and loving. They seek to live out our mission by worshipping together as a local community of believers, growing in spiritual maturity through discipleship, education, and small groups, caring for one another within the context of the larger church body and small groups, and Communicating the love of Christ to our world, both through local outreach and global mis...
The church or Ecclesia, as it is called in the original Greek language, regardless of size, are the called out ones who assemble to represent the Body and life of Jesus Christ. They engage in meetings of praise, worship, and listening to the Word of God, which is taken from their manual called the Holy Bible, or the Scriptures; those bringing the message are considered to be the mouthpieces for God, and are typically called preachers (KJV, Eph 5.23-32). According to the Bible, the church, which includes the preachers, is to strive to exemplify the type of life that Jesu...
The Sunday morning service opened with a selection by the sanctuary choir and orchestra, followed by a congregational hymn. Pastor Gaines began talking to the congregation about looking at the vision frame of the future for the church and their mission statement, which comes out of the word of God. A testimony of multiplying disciples was shown featuring Kyle Reno. The sermon given by Pastor Gaines Multiplying Disciple Makers was relevant to the needs of the world today. The sermon came from the scripture of Matthew 28:18-20 and Timothy 2:1-7. Pastor Gaines stated, “Every disciple is called to be a disciple maker. The word of God is completely sufficient at pointing individuals to Jesus...
We recently had a church meeting to articulate changes that will affect the church’s future. This chapter came in handy because I was able to engage the congregation by asking the necessary questions to get their buy-in before actually setting the change in stone. Although I ready to implement the change, it was not executed until the congregation saw it the benefits and rewards. This practice is not always the best way, because time may or may not allow it.
Secondly, the Church can insist on its identity as an inter-generational community. It can do this structurally, by refusing to segment congregations by age, and temperamentally, by recovering a biblical respect for maturity and rejecting popular culture’s infantilism, thereby offering to children a goal of growing up. Popular culture exalts perpetual adolescence.
Church Of God I. ORIGIN Most of the Pentecostal churches which bear the name "Church of God" can be traced to a holiness revival in the mountains of northwest Georgia and eastern Tennessee. In 1884, R.G. Spurling, a Baptist minister in Monroe County, Tennessee, began to search the Scriptures for answers to the problems of modernism, formality, and spiritual dryness. An initial meeting of concerned people was held on August 19, 1886, at the Barney Creek Meeting House to organize a new movement that would preach primitive church holiness and provide for reform and revival of the churches. Christian Union was the name accepted by the first eight members enrolled that day. Spurling died within a few months and was succeeded in leadership by his son, R.G. Spurling, Jr.
“Reaching Out without Dumbing Down” seems to be constructed for the church leader, elder, or pastor who is considering altering their current, historic worship style for a more modern one that may attract greater numbers of unsaved people. She provides excellent standards to help Pastors and Worship Leaders plan, execute, and evaluate worship services. These same standards provide a great opportunity to educate the church family on the reasons behind the use of certain worship elements. Although written for church leadership, the everyday church member would also benefit from understanding the very concepts that Dawn is directing at God-empowered leaders.
How do we stay Wesleyan if we don't heed the Notes and Sermons of John Wesley in some way
Lynn Malone, is currently the senior pastor at First United Methodist Church in Monroe, Louisiana. On June 13, 2008, Malone gave a homily that entailed a very key component of the Christian faith, the church. In this homily, the main concept of the homily is the church as being one whole entity. Throughout the homily, numerous examples are given that exemplify this concept. I will be discussing two themes more in depth throughout this paper, the Christian Church as one entity, and the universality of Christianity and Christ’s teachings.
My home church is United Methodist. I have gone there ever since I was a child because that is where my mother went to church. Through researching this paper I found many interesting things about my church. There are many points and issues I agree with and many I disagree with. Writing this really made me think about my denomination closely and if it’s the right one for me.
As my friend Jenni and I entered the hall of the big church, a feeling of apprehension overwhelmed us. Our feelings were soon comforted when we entered a sea of smiling faces and outstretched hands. A sense of belonging engulfed us. Ms. Shirley, an older colored woman was first to extend her arms. She did not know us from Adam, but it did not matter. She threw her arms around us. "You girls have the prettiest smiles", she declared. "I am so glad you came to be with us this morning." Words can not describe what the act of kindness did to our feelings of apprehension, and that was just the beginning.
Bolger, Ryan & Gibbs, Eddie. Emerging Churches: Creating Christian community in postmodern cultures (Grand Rapids, MI) Baker Academic, 2005