I received a bittersweet compliment today: “I’ve been involved in church planting and always thought it had to be complex and complicated, but then I read Discovering Church Planting.” While I am honored and deeply appreciate this word, I am troubled that such a paradigm shift had to occur.
If the first century disciples approached church planting with the complexity we have in North America, the gospel would have never left the Middle East.
There is little room at the church planting table for anything simple. We fail to remember that the complex King we serve operates through some very simple means.
Do the biblical parameters allow for ecclesiological complexity in the Kingdom? Yes, in certain situations. However, we must also recognize that the Kingdom Ethic requires us to be wise stewards with our Christian freedom.
And in light of the four billion who have yet to call upon the name of the Lord, I often wonder if our complexity hinders many from hearing.
I agree. We make many things too complex. The gospel message is simple and direct. We forget that it is the Holy Spirit who does the work of leading people to Christ. Our motto should be “no agenda.” If we adopt that, the Holy Spirit can work and grow the church.