Is Church too Complicated?

Jesus replied, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." Matthew 22:37-40

Anyone who has been reading my blog since the beginning knows that I have been studying the first-century church's successes and how they might be applied to the 21st-century church. After reading Simple Church by Thom S. Rainer and Eric Geiger, I've pondered whether our problem is that we have made churches too complicated, with numerous programs, meetings, and an inward focus trying to please everyone, which may be part of why our churches are practically empty on Sunday mornings.

The authors state right out of the gate, "This is not another church model." I'm glad they clarified that, as I don't need to hear about another church program. I studied many, implemented some, yet never found the success I was looking for. The book is dedicated to a simple process, which they outline through four words. Clarity. Movement. Alignment. Focus.

Could the church thrive on something as simple as the two commandments above that Jesus declared were the greatest? If everything we did promoted loving God and loving others, would we draw people back to the church? The authors of Simple Church have witnessed what happens when churches follow a simple process and do not add any programs to the church that do not promote the process.

A simple church is designed around a straightforward and strategic process that moves people through the stages of spiritual growth. The leadership and the church are clear about the process (clarity) and are committed to executing it. The process flows logically (movement) and is implemented in each area of the church (alignment). The church abandons everything that is not in the process (focus). Simple Church, 67-68

This process has been designed based on the research conducted by the authors. They have discovered how important it is to move people from worshiping God to learning together in small groups, to reaching beyond the church as missionaries in their communities. Simple church takes the two greatest commandments and applies them to the design of the ministries of the church.

The process the authors promote develops disciples who grow in their faith and take the gospel into their communities. And isn't that what Jesus instructed his disciples to do, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations..." Matthew 28:19 The process is simple, but implementing it will require intentional programs to promote the movement.

The Global Methodist Church has successfully grown to include more than 4700 congregations around the world. Many came from churches that left the UMC. We won't get many more congregations through disaffiliation; we must plant churches and grow the congregations we have if we want to spread scriptural holiness throughout the world.

Keeping our churches simple keeps the church focused on God and making disciples, the two most important commands Jesus gave us. It frees finances and personnel for disciple-making. Small and large churches alike can implement this process. Any culture around the world can be a simple church and make disciples. Why do we want to complicate churches to the point that everyone is working but no one is taking the gospel to the world?

Part of the reason our churches have become complicated is that we often continue ineffective programs, as no one wants to eliminate a ministry due to the fear of offending someone. Many of our churches need a hard reset to simplify their ministries and reach more people.