Is "doing church" too complicated?

I have found few books more helpful than "Simple Church" (by Thom S. Rainer and Eric Geiger) for helping churches stay on track. I suppose that when I was pastoring I felt that ministry should be complicated to be successful. I didn't consciously say this to myself, but I sure went about pastoring like it was complicated. After reading this book, I  admit that I was guilty of making ministry more complicated than it should be. 

The message of this book is "simple" yet profound. Simple is in. Complex is out. That mantra keeps running over and over in my mind as I coach pastors. It is something that all church workers should be aware of.

Simple Church is defined as a congregation designed around a straightforward and strategic process that moves people through the stages of spiritual growth.

The process is simple:

Clarity  >>> Movement >>> Alignment >>> Focus

"Focus" is the area that I struggled with while I was pastoring. Focus is the commitment to abandon everything that falls outside of the simple ministry process. Leaders tend to get involved in many things that pull them away from the ministry in which they were called to do. 

"Simple Church" is an easy and straightforward read and is worth adding to any church worker's tool box.

Rainer, Thom S. & Geiger, Eric. (2006) Simple Church (Kindle ed.) Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing group.

What book or books do you consider essential for your ministry tool box? Please let me know...leave a comment below and subscribe to this blog so that you will not miss any of my updates.

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