“The current reformation is not so much a reformation of faith…but a reformation of practice.” Yet for the church – which often institutionalizes its practices – reforms in methodology can prove every bit as epic as reforms in theology. – pg.20
Put simply (no pun intended) the basic premise of this book is that in the equation of church development, less can equal more. Reading this book was both a breath of fresh air, and an affirmation of everything I’ve felt about how the local church could healthily function in a new generation.
In typical “pastor-esque” fashion, Dave lays out what he believes are six principles for leading a “deliberately simple church.”
- Minimality
- Intentionality
- Reality
- Multility
- Velocity
- Scalability
In his book, Dave says things that we already believe as followers of Christ, but in the complexity of what we’ve made church to be, we have somehow moved from them. For instance, he tells about how after talking to a group of people about the missional vision of his church, a woman stands up and asks, “Isn’t the church for those who are believers?”
His response was what we already know, but it spoke directly to the sometimes selfish and self-centered view we take on describing what the church is about. He replied by saying:
“No, the church is not for us. The church is us, but it’s not for us. We are here for the lost.”
For the most part, the book was engaging and thought provoking. The only part he lost me and began to sound a lot like Niel Cole in his book Organic Church was when he began to describe various models of dysfunctional churches. He too jumped on the bandwagon of criticizing “purpose driven churches” and “seeker churches.” It was the only part of the book where I felt he was coming off as he had the answer and that these other models could not attain the same results.
To sum it up, I highly recommend this book – not only to pastors and vocational ministers – but for any believer in Christ. Reader beware…if you like your church in your own “little box,” this isn’t for you.