It's Simple. Really. Part 1

And So It Begins
Week Three, Part 1
(Shared at Harvest Church as part of our series on Church Growth.)

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The Problem with Doing TOO Much...
So here’s what I want you to imagine.

You visit a church. It’s a good church of good size. It’s a church that has been recognized by it’s denomination for being a solid church with great programs. The church is known for having talented and popular staff members, some of whom speak at various ministry conferences and events around the country. It’s a good church, serving it’s members and the community for 40+ years. And for the most part, your visit to this church is a good one. So good, you want to know more about this church.

So you grab a couple brochures from the “Welcome” Table. You want to read up on the church and it’s ministries and programs. You also visit the website, surfing through its pages, reading about belief statements, mission statements, vision statements. You go to the web page for their student ministry and you read about their ministry, their purpose statement, their mission statement, their vision statement. Then on to the children’s ministry where you repeat those steps. beliefs, mission, vision. Then onto the ministry for adults, and  again read their beliefs, mission, vision.

Two guys actually visited this church. Thom S. Rainer and Eric Geiger. To protect the church, they call the church, First Church. They did a study among churches investigation how they operated, what ministries they sponsored and how well they communicated their ministry and it’s focus.

Let me read to you what they had to say about their visit to First Church.

(Here was read, a selection from the book, Simple Church, by Thom S Rainer and Eric Geiger. Information about the book is provided below. Due to copyright issues, I have chosen not to post the quoted section but if you are in church leadership, I highly recommend you reading Thom and Eric's book, Simple Church..)

Now let me ask you, what do you think about when you hear the description of this church, its leadership, and its ministry?

As we take this time to prepare the field, we’ve come to the point where we must evaluate WHAT it is that we have been called to do. But not just the WHAT we do, we also need to evaluate the HOW we do what we do.

You see, we are at a place in the life and history of this church where I believe we have an opportunity to create a culture where we as a church are able to focus on what matters most. And when I ask myself, “What matters most?” my answer is simple,

1. That we love God with our all our heart, with all our soul and with all our mind.
2. That we love our neighbors as we love ourselves.
3. Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing the, in the name Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything that Christ commanded.

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 Tomorrow I will post part 2 of the message, so be sure to join us here on the blog!

In the meantime, have you ever experienced a church that share a similar problem being too busy? When you look at what the church offers in the way of ministries, did it appear that each individual program held it's own ideas of ministry, purpose, and vision? What did you think? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Share your comments below in the comment section.

And as always, thanks for reading the blog!

- jay

Thom S Rainer and Eric Geiger, have written a wonderful book that asks church leaders a simple question, Is your church doing too much?

Their study has revealed a problem plaguing many churches today; complicated ministry, over worked staff, and too many things on the calendar to do. If you are a church leader who feels like your foot is on the gas, your wheels are spinning but you just aren't getting anywhere, you might want to sit down and read what Thom and Eric has to say. To learn more, click here - Simple Church. 

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Learn more about the, And So It Begins series at the And So It Begin webpage. Just click on this link here: And So It Begins.

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