SiMPLE CHURCH RETURNING TO GOD’S PROCESS FOR MAKING DISCIPLES BY: THOM S. RAiNER & ERIC GEiGER St.Paul Service - May 2015 Book review by: Sherif Morgan

SiMPLE CHURCH RETURNING TO GOD’S PROCESS FOR MAKING DISCIPLES

SiMPLE CHURCH The SiMPLE revolution has begun

SiMPLE CHURCH SIMPLE is IN Complex is OUT Atleast out of style

SiMPLE CHURCH THEYKNOWITTHEYKNOWIT APPLE KNOWS IT

SiMPLE CHURCH THEYKNOWITTHEYKNOWIT GOOGLE KNOWS IT

SiMPLE CHURCH THEYKNOWITTHEYKNOWIT GRAPHIC DESIGNERS KNOW IT

SiMPLE CHURCH THEYKNOWITTHEYKNOWIT GRAPHIC DESIGNERS KNOW IT John Maeda - National Design Award

SiMPLE CHURCH THEYKNOWITTHEYKNOWIT SOUTHWEST AIRLINES KNOW IT

SiMPLE CHURCH HEAPPLIEDITHEAPPLIEDIT JESUS IS SiMPLE

SiMPLE CHURCH 365 Negative Binding Non binding Pentateuch - Torah 248 Positive Binding Non binding Ranking

SiMPLE CHURCH Mathew 22: But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” 37Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

SiMPLE CHURCH He was not lowering the standard of the law He was not abolishing it He was capturing all its spirit, all of its essence in one statement. He made it SIMPLE 613 in 2 Complex to

SiMPLE CHURCH Conclusion: SiMPLE Church leaders are Designers. They design opportunities of spiritual growth Complex Church leaders are Programmers. They run ministry programs

SiMPLE CHURCH The SiMPLE and (Not So Simple) Church in Action Comparison

SiMPLE CHURCH Topic First ChurchCross Church Brief 40 Years Solid Church Great Programs Talented & Popular leaders Standstill for 5yrs No Growth 20 Years Not known No popular servants Big growth Statements A lot of brochures For each service Not sure of the real focus of the church One statement Love God, Love Others, and serve the World.

SiMPLE CHURCH Topic First ChurchCross Church Priest & Leaders They don’t all know the vision nor services follow the greater vision. All services/ministries serve the same vision. Our purpose is the process Programm- ing 8 major programs in 7 days Hard to be excellent when you are focused on so much Everyone is short on leaders As a servant which program you most recommend? Christmas program problem Weekly Spiritual Meeting Small groups Sun/Wedn Service in a team Mark2:27 And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Love God Love Others Serve the World

SiMPLE CHURCH Topic First ChurchCross Church Numbers Checking numbers in each Program Check numbers moving from one program to another P P P P1P2P

SiMPLE CHURCH Topic First ChurchCross Church New ideas Any idea may be accepted Example: Family/marriage problems, then made a parents day and another marriage day Ideas within the vision are only accepted Family/marriage problems, are approached within the process of small groups of loving others New staff & servants High calibers Aligned vision for the servants Announcem ents A lot of announcements Equally important 3 announcements Love God Love Others Serve the World

SiMPLE CHURCH Each Country / ministry discussion questions 1. How are we like, First Church or Cross Church? 2. Which church would you rather attend? &/or serve in?

SiMPLE CHURCH SiMPLE Church – Extreme Makover

SiMPLE CHURCH

Church/Ministry leaders are like designers SiMPLE Church leaders excel in designing a ministry process that leads to spiritual growth Spiritual growth is a process Therefor it would make sense for church leaders to design their churches around the process of spiritual growth

SiMPLE CHURCH 1 Corinthians: Chapter 3 1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; 3 for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? 4 For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal? 5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. 7 So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. 8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. 9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. 10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it.

SiMPLE CHURCH 1 Corinthians: Chapter 3 1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; 3 for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? 4 For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal? 5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. 7 So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. 8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. 9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. 10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it.

SiMPLE CHURCH 1 Corinthians: Chapter 3 1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; 3 for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? 4 For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal? 5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? GOD’S CHILDREN 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. 7 So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. 8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. 9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. 10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it.

SiMPLE CHURCH 1 Corinthians: Chapter 3 1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; 3 for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? 4 For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal? 5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? GOD’S CHILDREN 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. 7 So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. 8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. GOD’S FIELD 9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. 10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it.

SiMPLE CHURCH 1 Corinthians: Chapter 3 1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; 3 for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? 4 For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal? 5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? GOD’S CHILDREN 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. 7 So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. 8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. GOD’S FIELD 9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. 10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. GOD’S BUILDING

SiMPLE CHURCH 1 Corinthians: Chapter 3 We need the right environment to grow physically And thus spiritually GOD’S CHILDREN GOD’S FIELD GOD’S BUILDING

SiMPLE CHURCH 1 Corinthians: Chapter 3 We need the right environment to grow physically And thus spiritually GOD’S CHILDREN Fields do not bear fruits or crops on command They blossom in process They need the right environment and nutrients GOD’S FIELD GOD’S BUILDING

SiMPLE CHURCH 1 Corinthians: Chapter 3 We need the right environment to grow physically And thus spiritually GOD’S CHILDREN Fields do not bear fruits or crops on command They blossom in process They need the right environment and nutrients GOD’S FIELD He first built us (created us) He then bought us back with His blood (Redemption) He constantly redecorates us and work on us through the Holy Spirit GOD’S BUILDING

SiMPLE CHURCH The Church leaders design a SiMPLE process to create the environments beneficial to spiritual growth

SiMPLE CHURCH Defining a SiMPLE Church A simple church is a congregation designed around a straightforward and strategic process that moves people through the stages of spiritual growth.

SiMPLE CHURCH Defining a SiMPLE Church A simple church is a congregation designed around a straightforward and strategic process that moves people through the stages of spiritual growth.

SiMPLE CHURCH Defining a SiMPLE Church A simple church is a congregation designed around a straightforward and strategic process that moves people through the stages of spiritual growth.

SiMPLE CHURCH Defining a SiMPLE Church A simple church is a congregation designed around a straightforward and strategic process that moves people through the stages of spiritual growth. The leaders Know it The people understand it

SiMPLE CHURCH Defining a SiMPLE Church A simple church is a congregation designed around a straightforward and strategic process that moves people through the stages of spiritual growth. Love God Love Others Serve the World

SiMPLE CHURCH Defining a SiMPLE Church A simple church is a congregation 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 ClarityMovementAlignmentFocus

SiMPLE CHURCH Mark 11: So they came to Jerusalem. Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. 16 And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple. 17 Then He taught, saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ” People should go to the temple to seek God People lost their focus

SiMPLE CHURCH Many of our churches have become cluttered. So cluttered that people have a difficult time to encountering the simple and powerful message of Christ. So cluttered that many people are busy doing church instead of being the church.

SiMPLE CHURCH What about us?