Keeping it Simple - Keeping it Real

In the book "Simple Church" by Thom Rainer & Eric Geiger, the story is told about Christ Fellowship. Several years ago the pastors of the church began evaluating ministry. They sought to define the kind of disciples their was church was seeking to make. God impressed upon their hearts to focus everyone on four things: intimate relationship with God, community with others, serving, and influencing nonbelievers. {p. 93} Guess what? It worked!

I wonder how many other churches in America would be willing to go through the same process? The answer lies in whether or not they are willing to keep it simple and keep it real.

The believers that I experience in today's culture aren't looking for sophistication and structure. What they are looking for is a building filled with real people who love the God they serve and the people they fellowship with. They don't care if the person behind the pulpit has the title of "Dr." before his name as long as he can communicate truth. They aren't that concerned about the flower arrangements, the robes in the choir, etc. They simply want to be with other believers in a setting where they can experience God.

The church as a whole has almost structured herself to death. Does anyone understand what I'm saying? You can't hardly breathe without taking a vote. You can only do ministry if approved by a proper committee and headed by an elected leader. The fellowship is a great divide between "clergy", "laity", and "leadership". I'm not saying that the church shouldn't have some type of leadership but we need to honor the priesthood of all believers. How do we do this? We keep it simple & keep it real.

Keep it Simple:
Make worship an experience with God rather than simply singing songs about Him.
Make preaching a time to communicate truth into the lives of the hearer rather than rolling out a "fine" sermon.
Make prayer a time of coming before God and not simply going through the motions.
Make fellowship about fellowship rather than just trying to populate the membership roll.

Keep it Real:
There isn't one person in our community that has it "all together".
Don't be afraid to minister to people who are different.
Be open and honest about struggles by seeking help and encouragement.
Show the love of God to every person that walks through those doors and into fellowship.

I have no doubt that most people in churches would read this blog and say "We are doing that." Let me suggest that you look back over all you do and ask the question: "Is it simple & Is it real?"

Trust me...the people who come in know whether it is or not.