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Our Year In Simple Church (Part 2) – By Elizabeth Harris

2013 was like the summer I trained to be a life guard—when I had to tread water holding bricks above my head.  There just wasn’t much easy. Moving to our new town in North Carolina, navigating a new, demanding job, keeping up with four home schooled children and then one on the way.  We treaded a lot of water with bricks over our heads.And we missed our Simple Church network there in Lexington something awful. We started with Simple Church from its inception.  We grew—we prayed—we changed–we learned to be the church, not just go to church—we experienced God work around us in remarkable ways, and… Read More »Our Year In Simple Church (Part 2) – By Elizabeth Harris

Creative Simple Church Planting Training Recap

Each month we invite folks to come together to join in a discussion about issues relevant to simple church leadership.  This month, Uday Balasundaram facilated our time together.  Over the last several months, Uday and I realized that we share a similar passion for missional living, discipleship, and simple church–even though we use different words to describe it.  Uday did a wonderful job of challenging us all to think about how we, as believers, are called to “mix” with the world around us and to join God in the creative process of birthing new life in the culture in which… Read More »Creative Simple Church Planting Training Recap

6500 New Churches A Year Needed?

Note: Originally posted on March 10, 20011 – This post continues to be one of my most recommended posts to those wrestling with the “Why simple church?” question.     Several years ago, a good friend recommended this post at www.plantingchurches.org. Here is an excerpt: According to census data, the population of the US currently is roughly 300 million.  In 2050, they project that they the population will be 400 million.  While many surveys suggest that 40% of Americans attend a church service regularly, that number is largely inflated.  According to David T. Olson’s book, The American Church in Crisis,… Read More »6500 New Churches A Year Needed?

Outside The Walls (By Nate Smith)

How can the world engage in a conversation about Jesus when I am always inside those comfortable walls?

The Holy Spirit has been moving in my heart about the need to start some sort of conversation in coffee shops and bars throughout the city. These are places people gather to strike up natural conversation. It is also a place where others go to be alone, people watch and listen in on others.

“Troops” in India

Upon returning from a recent trip to India, a friend took me out for coffee to tell me of his encounter with a former nun, Sister Angelica, who has trained over 20,000 Christian “soldiers”  to lead “troops” throughout her country.  Below is a training handout that Sister Angelica uses while helping to start troops and train up new leaders. Some of this may seem odd to our western use of language and sensibilities.  To be clear, I would not advocate starting simple churches here with such guidelines.  That being said, I wonder if there are more than a few good… Read More »“Troops” in India

Get The Picture?

At a recent simple church training, we discussed the importance of clearly communicating the values and vision of simple church. We challenged the leaders from each simple church to visualize simple church alliance. Below are a few of the images. How would you visualize simple church multiplication?

Free E-Book: Discipleship In Church Planting

There is a great free resource available online from Dr. J.D. Payne (who will be leading our time together this Friday for our special Simple Church Training).  The 55 page e-book entitled Discipleship in Church Planting includes some great thought-provoking questions for anyone seeking to make disciples and see church communities birthed and multiplied. Click Here To Get The Book Free!

Lessons From The Fields

Neil Cole recently posted an excerpt from the book Organic Church describing what he would do differently if he planted a church today knowing now all that he has learned over the years.  Since in simple church we urge everyone to think of themselves as a potential church planter, I thought that it would be good to point you to these very important lessons. Read the entire article with explanations HERE 1. Begin in the Harvest and Start Small. 2. Allow God to Build Around Others 3. Empower Others from the Start 4. Let Scripture Lead Not Your Assumptions 5.… Read More »Lessons From The Fields

Birth Pains

By Karla Duerson There has been that moment every time.  He has to come out.  She has to come out.  This has been what I’ve been wanting.  Right?  Pregnant women know about the time to which I am referring.  The time when you realize that the baby has to come out—one way or another! Truthfully, when I reached the middle to end of my last trimester of pregnancy I was ready to hold my baby in my arms, not around my waist.  I delighted in carrying my Guy, Emma, Kendall and Beau within me, but I also cherished the thought… Read More »Birth Pains