SIMPLE CHURCH, p. 4: ALIGNMENT
"Simple Church" by Eric Geiger and T. Rainer has captured the imaginations of many people in America. They are already holding "Simple Church" conferences around the country with hundreds of people in attendance. While that is interesting, my concern is how we can take the Biblical principles from this book and apply them to any local church in order to experience growth. The growth we are looking for is both quantitative and qualitative growth. I believe the two are related.
In our continuing series as we study this book, we are on Part Four: Alignment. Alignment is defined as "the arrangement of all ministries and staff around the same simple process." According to their research, "there is a highly significant relationship between church vitality and alignment".
Alignment includes the following parts:
1) Recruit on Process - Staff & volunteers must be deeply committed to the specific discipleship process your church has selected. This is no place for lone rangers who decide they will use their own curriculum, methods, and means to do their own ministry style in their part of the church. Everybody must be using the same terms, systems and means to make disciples.
2) Offer Accountability - regular review of the process is necessary. For staff people, this may mean a weekly staff meeting. For church volunteers it needs to include a monthly leadership community meeting where the process is reviewed, and each ministry is tied in to that process. Accountability includes making sure that ministries are tied in to the overall purpose of the church.
3) Implement the Same Process Everywhere - same terminology; same spiritual growth milestones; same end-game.
You may adapt it to different groups, or ages, but the goal is essentially the same. This way unity is increased, and families experience the same process.
4) Unite around the Process - Remember the definition of a simple church: "A simple church is a congregation designed around a straightforward and strategic process that moves people through the stages of spiritual growth." Everybody is walking the same path toward spiritual growth.
5) New Ministry Alignment - This simply means don't start anything new unless it fits your process. The hardest part for you will be retooling existing ministries to align them with the discipleship process you have selected as a church. So make sure that if you start something new, that it already is in alignment, so you don't have to go back later and retool again.
After the final section of our "Simple Church" study, "Focus", I will be sharing with you the steps we have taken in our church to implement the Simple Church process. We have been studying it, and working on it for 6-months now, and we are just beginning to launch the new process with the congregation. Stay tuned for that.
Until later,
Dr. Bill
In our continuing series as we study this book, we are on Part Four: Alignment. Alignment is defined as "the arrangement of all ministries and staff around the same simple process." According to their research, "there is a highly significant relationship between church vitality and alignment".
Alignment includes the following parts:
1) Recruit on Process - Staff & volunteers must be deeply committed to the specific discipleship process your church has selected. This is no place for lone rangers who decide they will use their own curriculum, methods, and means to do their own ministry style in their part of the church. Everybody must be using the same terms, systems and means to make disciples.
2) Offer Accountability - regular review of the process is necessary. For staff people, this may mean a weekly staff meeting. For church volunteers it needs to include a monthly leadership community meeting where the process is reviewed, and each ministry is tied in to that process. Accountability includes making sure that ministries are tied in to the overall purpose of the church.
3) Implement the Same Process Everywhere - same terminology; same spiritual growth milestones; same end-game.
You may adapt it to different groups, or ages, but the goal is essentially the same. This way unity is increased, and families experience the same process.
4) Unite around the Process - Remember the definition of a simple church: "A simple church is a congregation designed around a straightforward and strategic process that moves people through the stages of spiritual growth." Everybody is walking the same path toward spiritual growth.
5) New Ministry Alignment - This simply means don't start anything new unless it fits your process. The hardest part for you will be retooling existing ministries to align them with the discipleship process you have selected as a church. So make sure that if you start something new, that it already is in alignment, so you don't have to go back later and retool again.
After the final section of our "Simple Church" study, "Focus", I will be sharing with you the steps we have taken in our church to implement the Simple Church process. We have been studying it, and working on it for 6-months now, and we are just beginning to launch the new process with the congregation. Stay tuned for that.
Until later,
Dr. Bill
Labels: Church Health, Eric Geiger, Simple Church
posted by Dr. Bill at
8:24 AM
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