Thom S. Rainer - Simple Church

Other Books by Thom S. Rainer

The Unexpected Journey

Breakout Churches

The Unchurched Next Door

Surprising Insights from the Unchurched

Eating the Elephant (revised edition) (coauthor)

High Expectations

The Every Church Guide to Growth (coauthor)

The Bridger Generation

Effective Evangelistic Churches

The Church Growth Encyclopedia (coeditor)

Experiencing Personal Revival (coauthor)

Giant Awakenings

Biblical Standards for Evangelists (coauthor)

The Book of Church Growth

Evangelism in the Twenty-first Century (editor)

Essential Church (coauthor)

Raising Dad (coauthor)

Simple Life (coauthor)

Transformational Church (coauthor)

The Millennials (coauthor)

Copyright 2011 by Thom S. Rainer and Eric Geiger

All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America

ISBN: 978-0-8054-4799-6

Published by B&H Publishing Group,

Nashville, Tennessee

Dewey Decimal Classification: 254

Subject Heading: CHURCH ADMINISTRATION \ CHURCH \ CHURCH GROWTH

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible. Copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible, Holman CSB, and HCSB are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers. Other versions include: nasb , the New American Standard Bible, the Lockman Foundation, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995; used by permission; and niv , New International Version, copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.

7 8 9 10 11 12 19 18 17 16 15

From Thom:

To Nellie Jo

My love

My life

My heroine

From Eric:

Kaye, I dedicate this book to you.

Your relationship with God inspires me.

Your support and encouragement motivate me.

And your love brings me joy.

Acknowledgments

I have been a student of the American church for over twenty years. Though I realize I have only begun to understand this God-given institution, in some ways it seems as if I have studied it from every possible angle. Still I knew something was missing.

A couple of years ago, a young man with lots of energy came into my office to show me some research he had done. He couldnt sit still. Such is his nature, but even more so on this occasion. He was tremendously excited about the fruit of his research to this point.

Simply stated, he found that the healthiest churches in America tended to have a simple process for making disciples. They had clarity about the process. They moved Christians intentionally through the process. They were focused on the elements of the process. And they aligned their entire congregation to this process.

The simple church was discovered.

Eric Geiger was that young man, then a twenty-something but now an aging old man of thirty. His research was sound. His discoveries were on target.

We did further research, and the results were confirmed with even greater certainty.

I am grateful to Eric for his intellect, his enthusiasm, his persistence, and his humility as the old man (me!) offered guidance and a few suggestions for improvements.

Eric and I wrote this book in the first-person plural for easy flow. But we also note when we are speaking specifically about either one of us.

My gratitude also extends to my family at LifeWay Christian Resources, where I serve as president. The men and women who are part of this family are some of the greatest and smartest Christians I know.

Thanks also to Ken Stephens, the president of Broadman & Holman (B&H), for the opportunity to begin a new series of works with B&H, among which this book is the first. Kens constant encouragement and dry sense of humor are always sources of joy for me.

How can I say thank you to my great family? In every book I write, you see me talk about my sons: Sam, Art, and Jess. One person recently asked me if these young men could possibly be as great as I describe. The fact of the matter is that I cannot overstate how wonderful they are. Every person who knows them agrees with me.

Of course, the object of deepest love among all of us in the Rainer family is Nellie Jo. Wife and mother summa cum laude . Isnt life great, Doll? Isnt LifeWay a great place? Isnt Nashville a great place to live? I love you so very much, and I love traveling on this journey called life with you. The best is yet to come.

Thom Rainer

I t has been said that it takes a community to raise a child. Well, it also takes one to write a book. I am eternally grateful to God for the community of people He has placed in my life.

I thank Thom for taking me on this journey. There is a lot of talk about investing in the next generation of leaders. Some would say at age thirty, I am a part of that next generation. Thom has lived that sermon. Thank you, Dr. Rainer, for believing in me and partnering with me on this project.

I thank all those who invested hours in the research phase of this project. I thank the hundreds of church leaders who participated with candor and honesty. Thank you, Dr. Paulette Johnson, for your statistical expertise. Thank you, LifeWay, for running the sample for phase one of the project. Thank you Bette Spellerberg, Stuart Swicegood, and Russ Kreuter, for making initial contact with church leaders.

I thank Dr. Rick Blackwood, my pastor, leader, friend, and mentor. Thank you, Rick, for giving me the opportunity to serve you and Christ Fellowship, Miami. The laughs, prayers, joys, and frustrations we have shared together have been rich and rewarding.

I thank the staff at Christ Fellowship. We are reminded constantly of Gods grace and goodness. Not only do we get to serve Jesus and our great church, we also get to serve together. I pray we will continue to enjoy the ride together.

I thank the people of Christ Fellowship, Miami. I pray we will continue to push the movement of the gospel forward. Being a part of this church is awesome!

I thank Broadman & Holman for all the energy and time they poured into this project. When I first met Ken Stephens, the president, he said, Welcome to our family. I felt like I was in a scene from The Godfather . I almost tried to kiss his ring. Almost. It was a great moment, and I hope there will be many more.

I thank the following leaders with whom I have had the honor to serve or study under: Jerry Key, Dr. Michael Hawley, Ben Wasson, Chuck Allen, Dr. Terry Fields, Dr. Dino Senesi, and Dr. Brad Waggoner. I am blessed because of your investment in me. I hope you see some fruit from your labor.

I thank my parents and brother. In the midst of enormous change, you have been constant. Even when I was far from God, you loved me. Your continual encouragement has supported me for years.

I thank my wife, Kaye. I am so thankful for you. I love you and I like you. You are the most tangible expression of Gods grace in my life. Difficult days are much more bearable with you. Great days are much more exciting with you.

Most of all, I thank Jesus. I present this work to You as an offering to be used for Your glory.

Eric Geiger

Part 1

Simple Revolution

One

The Simple Revolution Has Begun

Out of complexity, find simplicity.

~ Albert Einstein

R elax. This book is not about another church model. If you are a church leader, you have been exposed to plenty of models. Most of them are on your shelf. Or worse, you have blended a bunch of models into one schizophrenic plan. If that is the case, neither you nor the people in your church are really sure what your church is all about. We see it all the time.