Scratching where it itches

There’s a new word among church circles and the word is “simple.” Church specialists and experts are imploring church leaders to apply the KISS method when it comes to doing church: Keep It Simple Stupid.
For many years the church has tried to be all things to all people. If people had any sort of itch, the church attempted to supply someone to scratch that itch. At first, people wanted a well rounded educational program in the church. So, seminaries started churning out directors of education.
Then, we just had to have someone who knew more than anyone else in the field of music, so the seminaries opened a music department and we had our ministers of music.
Teenagers began to complain that they were be ing overlooked and more than that, their parents started getting at their wits ends at what to do with their kids, especially as it had to do with matters of faith. So, seminaries started specializing in youth ministries and we had our youth directors.
But that was not enough: we needed children’s specialists; audio-visual experts; administrators to keep up with all the money and inventory; we needed on-staff counselors. If someone itched, the church did everything it could to scratch.
All that resulted in a very complex church structure with pastors, assistant pastors, ministers, ministerial assistants, administrative support personnel, etc. And all of it has resulted in not much more of anything. The church is more organized and complex and yet, less effective in evangelism and discipleship — the two biggies left us by the commander in chief, Jesus Christ.
Thom Rainer, an up and coming insightful church leader, and Eric Geiger have just released a book entitled, “Simple Church.” It’s one of the most encouraging books I have read in many years, principally, because it helps us believe that a church can be successful without all the trappings of the mega church.
Mega churches often provide a model that worked for them; the model, however, becomes somewhat burdensome for us in smaller churches. Once we try it, it fails and we feel failure.
The Simple Church calls us back to the simpler ways and days of successful churches that did not have to hire out every job and need. For instance, keep the calendar of the church simple. Just because the church has something happening every night does not result in a great church. Rather, use the time already there, Sunday morning and Wednesday night to do what needs to be done. Keep it simple, so very simple.