Simple Church

A book review by Robin G. Jordan

I just finished reading Simple Church by Thom S. Rainer and Eric Geiger (Nashville: H & B Publishing Group, 2006). This book is a must read for clergy and lay leaders planning to plant a new Anglican church from scratch or to lead an existing congregation out of The Episcopal Church and to reorganize the congregation as a new Anglican church under the jurisdiction of another province.

Rainer and Geiger’s research points to the need for a simple process of discipleship in 21st century American churches and the great difference that a simple discipleship process can make in the ministry of churches that adopt this approach. Rainer and Geiger found a definite relationship between a simple church design and the vitality of a local church. Among their findings was that a simple church is much better suited to the growing complexity of life in the 21st century.

Many American churches have become too complicated, adding more and more programs out of the mistaken notion that more is better. Yet they are having no appreciable impact upon the lives of their church members or the communities in which they are located. The more vibrant churches, the churches that are making a difference, have a very simple discipleship process and few programs. What programs they do have serve this discipleship process.

Simple Church is written to help church leaders to design and to implement a simple process of discipleship in their own churches. While the transition to a simple church approach is not an easy one, it is easier for new churches. This is good news for church planters. Becoming a simple church does not require that a church own property or have a lot of money. According to Rainer and Geiger, a simple church approach is the best stewardship of limited resources.

I believe that Simple Church will be particularly helpful to clergy and lay leaders contemplating the loss of property and reduction in programs that face a congregation leaving The Episcopal Church. Starting over may not seem as daunting as it may have at first. God is actually presenting the congregation with an opportunity to adopt a streamlined church design that will make it much more effective in fulfilling his mission.

Churches that make the transition to a simple church are likely to experience a new lease on life. Adopting a simple church model can provide a non-growing or declining church with a new direction that puts the church back on the upward side of the church growth bell curve.