Simple Church: Returning to God's Process for Making Disciples

by Thom S. Rainer, Eric Geiger

Overview

The simple revolution is here. From the design of Apple products to Google's uncluttered homepage, simple ideas are changing the world.

Now in paperback, multi-awarded #1 national bestseller Simple Church guides Christians back to the simple gospel-sharing methods of Jesus. No bells or whistles required. With insights based on case studies of  400 American churches, Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger prove the disciple-making process is often too complex. Simple churches thrive by taking four ideas to heart: 

Clarity. Movement. Alignment. Focus.

Simple Church examines each idea, clearly showing why it is time to simplify. This updated trade paper edition includes a new chapter with further insights the authors have gained through hundreds of conversations with church leaders since this landmark book's original release.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780805447996
Publisher:	B&H Publishing Group
Publication date:	06/01/2011
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	296
Sales rank:	1,063,948
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Thom S. Rainer is the founder and CEO of Church Answers. Prior to Church Answers, he served as president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources. He also served at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary for twelve years where he was the founding dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions and Evangelism. He has been a pastor of four churches and interim pastor of ten churches. He is a 1977 graduate of the University of Alabama and earned his Master of Divinity and Ph.D. degrees from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Rainer has written over 30 books, including three that reached number one bestseller: I Am a Church Member, Autopsy of a Deceased Church, and Simple Church.

He has spoken in hundreds of venues and led over 500 church consultations. He can be reached at www.ChurchAnswers.com.

Rainer and his wife, Nellie Jo, live in Franklin, TN, and have three grown sons: Sam, Art and Jess, who are married to Erin, Sarah and Rachel respectively. The Rainers have ten grandchildren: Canon, Maggie, Nathaniel, Will (with the Lord), Harper, Bren, Joshua, Collins, Joel, and James.

Eric Geiger is the Senior Pastor of Mariners Church in Irvine, California. Before moving to Southern California, Eric served as senior vice-president for LifeWay Christian Resources. Eric received his doctorate in leadership and church ministry from Southern Seminary. Eric has authored or co-authored several books including the bestselling church leadership book, Simple Church. Eric is married to Kaye, and they have two daughters: Eden and Evie. During his free time, Eric enjoys dating his wife, taking his daughters to the beach, and playing basketball.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Part 1 Simple Revolution

Chapter 1 The Simple Revolution Has Begun 3

Chapter 2 The Simple (and Not-So-Simple) Church in Action 29

Chapter 3 Simple Church: An Extreme Makeover 57

Chapter 4 Three Simple Stories 83

Part 2 Becoming a Simple Church

Chapter 5 Clarity: Starting with a Ministry Blueprint 109

Chapter 6 Movement: Removing Congestion 135

Chapter 7 Alignment: Maximizing the Energy of Everyone 165

Chapter 8 Focus: Saying No to Almost Everything 197

Chapter 9 Becoming Simple 227

The Postscript (or what we have learned) 243

Appendix A Research Design Methodology 267

Appendix B Frequently Asked Questions 273

Notes 277

About the Authors 281