Thom Rainer & Eric Geiger write brilliantly to expose the first of those things that this generation of ‘unchurched’ (or even a new generation ‘within the walls’) are looking for from the church. They write a book called Simple Church which is about, well what do you think, restoring simplicity to programme heavy churches. I think churches in the past generation have come to believe that if they offer myriads of different options for each age group and even for particular niches within each of those age groups they will most effectively reach out to people. I don’t feel this is the case.
This generation is flooded with options, most of which are at a level that can never be replicated by the church. We have to understand what the church has to offer that distinguishes us from anything that is secular. Once we discover that we need to excel at that one thing.
Rainer and Geiger say that one thing is making Christian disciples; in fact Christ said that a long time before them. The church alone is called to transform people in a supernatural/natural coalition (work of God and work of prayerful Christian leadership) into counter-cultural followers of Jesus Christ.
So, with that in mind, we need to engage people in a simple process of taking them from their unchurched state to being mature Christian disciples and not get distracted by every other thing that we may be able to do ‘sort-of-well’ as a church.
People are looking for simplicity.
Simon
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