Is it too easy?

Chapter Four - Three Simple Stories

I have been working my way through book 'Simple Church' summarising the chapters. Today we hit chapter four, you can find the previous summaries - chapter 1, chapter 2 & chapter 3.

This chapter looks at three churches using the simple method. The basis of the chapter begins with a discussion of Matt 16 when Jesus says

Upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of Hades will not
overpower it.

The church is something that is God given and therefore not even Hell can hold back the church, it is a powerful, intense and unstoppable movement. They then illustrate how gates that don't do fulfill their purpose (keep people or cars out or in) are useless. Their point about gates being purely a defensive mechanism is interesting. Therefore, the gates of Hell is always on the defensive never on the offensive - 'the church always has the ball'. The question they then ask from this is: 'how big a dent in the gates of hell will we make?' This chapter is showing us 3 stories that are causing big dents in the gates of hell

Immanuel church in Glasgow

They show that their contention - simple churches grow disciples - is working in Immanuel Baptist Church. There is clarity (connect, grow, serve); movement (through the connect, grow, serve), alignment (all the ministries adopt and actively use and promote the process) and there is focus (they use all their energy and resources into this process).

Numbers wise they have doubled in size from 150 to 300 over 2 years. But there are other benefits they outline - an increased morale, a sense of urgency to move people towards maturity, visible spiritual growth, conversions, better financial situation and and sense of unity.

Christ Church in Miami

Once again (as above) there was a group of pastors committed to simplifying the church and the church has been growing. There is clarity (connect to God, others, ministry and the lost); there is movement (actively seeking to move people to connect to God - others - ministry - lost); alignment (all ministry activities have the same process from the kids through to adults) and there is focus (they eliminated programs that didn't fit over the course of 2 years and it seems they made some tough calls!)

Northpoint Community Church

Northpoint began their life as a church committed to simple and have been the 'epitome of simple'. The church has had immense growth from a handful to sixteen thousand in ten years. They use the analogy of foyer, living room and kitchen. Once again the four elements of clarity, movement, alignment and focus.

The reason Northpoint is able to do things so well is because they have chosen
to only do a few things [...] they refuse to add programs or events that will
distract people from the simple process that God has given them.

These 3 stories have all engaged with a simple process that guides its ministry and is pushing back the gates of Hell.

My thoughts

Each of the above churches seems to be in a very healthy way. People are growing from infants to maturity through a simple process of discipleship. Each church is seeing people come to Christ for the first time. They have all had to varying degrees growth in numbers alone with Northpoint growing substantially. There is a degree of scepticism about large churches in Sydney as we prefer to grow churches by breaking off around the 150-200 mark to begin another church. I am fence sitting on this one at the moment.

But the stories are good, I do wonder if there are the stories of a simple church that is not growing?! But they probably don't sell books.

At this point it is hard to ignore the evidence. But it also seems all too easy a bit like the 'silver-bullet' talked about in various places.

The next portion of the book (Part 2) is about becoming a simple church but before we get there the next post will be about the book's use of Scripture so far.