Steps to Designing the "Simple Church"

Thom Rainer

Following is my outline of the main points of the last section of the book Simple Church by Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger where they describe the steps to becoming a simple church.

BECOMING SIMPLE
A. Design a simple process (CLARITY)

1. Design a simple ministry process for your church on paper - do not build your process (first) around any existing ministries.
2. Study about discipleship in the Bible and narrow your definition down to a few key points. Disciples at our church are: ________________, _______________, ______________, and ___________________. The fewer the points the better.
3. Place them in sequential order to identify HOW people progress through spiritual transformation. Place them according to different levels of commitment. The first step should be the first level of commitment.

Ed Stetzer on the Missional Church

Josh Reich's summary of the highlights of Breaking the Missional Code by Ed Stetzer.

Studies show that the higher standards of biblical teaching, the longer people remain engaged. Today's seekers are seeking depth. They won’t interrupt a fine Sunday morning of sleeping in to attend a church that serves up shallowness, at least not for long.

Establishing a missional church means that you plant a church that’s part of the culture you’re seeking to reach.

Missional is the posture – the way in church we approach people in culture – but incarnational describes what’s actually happening.

International Arts Movement (IAM): Makoto Fujimura

Makoto Fujimura is an artist, writer, and speaker who is recognized worldwide as a cultural influencer by both faith-based and secular media. A Presidential appointee to the National Council on the Arts (2003-2009), Fujimura has contributed internationally as an advocate for the arts, speaking with decision makers and advising governmental policies on the arts. Fujimura’s work is exhibited at galleries around the world....

Vision of IAM
The world is not as it ought to be. We long for meaningful existence and involvement in our culture - to be part of a story greater than ourselves. But too often our reality is a broken and fragmented story in which dignity and value are stripped from humanity.

Art, as a universal language, can begin to address this dehumanization. The world needs artists and visionaries to lead the way in seeing beyond the trivial to the transcendent, bringing synthesis to fragmentation and hope to despair.

7 Reasons Why the Church Needs Artists | TonyMorganLive.com

7 Reasons Why the Church Needs Artists TonyMorganLive.com

Faith and the Arts

Faith and the Arts is an online platform dedicated to exploring the relationship between artistic practice, creativity and religious beliefs.

Faith and the Arts

Links | Art and Christianity Enquiry

Links on Art and Christianity Enquiry website

Art and Christianity Enquiry (ACE)

ACE claims to be

..."the leading UK organisation in the field of visual art and religion. ACE offers stimulating educational projects and publications, advice, information and skills."

See more on: Art and Christianity Enquiry (ACE)

The Church & The Arts

by Robert Cooper

THE FOLLOWING PAPER WAS GIVEN AS PART OF A WORKSHOP AT THE 1998 NATIONAL CONFERENCE FOR LICENSED READERS IN THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.

Excerpt:

If your ministry is one of leading worship and teaching, you cannot afford to ignore the arts. For one thing, you would discount the experience of all the people who find creative activities valuable. For another, you would end up with a lop-sided theology in which words and concepts are given excessive value. As Neil Smith of the Community of Christ the King has written; "The arts are about revelation and are therefore a profound pathway to engagement with spiritual truth".

This paper gives some pointers towards the practical importance of creative activities. It then offers some reflection on the theological significance of the arts.

Read more. The Church and the Arts

Makoto Fujimura | Writings on Art and Faith

Makoto Fujimura Writings on Art and Faith

Arts: Making Church Artist-Friendly - Christianity Today magazine - ChristianityTodayLibrary.com

"Many times the church is blessed with creative people but doesn't have the right perspective to empower them," Fujimura says. I AM attempts to fill the gap. Artists meet together in cell groups to support, mentor, and disciple one another.

I AM also hosts events where Christianity can be explored through artistic expression. Says Fujimura, "If you're called to be an artist, you're called to be in the world but not of it. Therefore, you need accountability, you need prayer, you need groups that understand your creative side."

Read the entire article...

Arts: Making Church Artist-Friendly - Christianity Today magazine - ChristianityTodayLibrary.com