Designing A Simple Church

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Designing A Simple Church

• The Simple Church
• By Thom Rainer Eric Geiger

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Reasons For Simple Church

• Transform a tired and confused church into an
  excited, joyous church of anticipation
• Increase the opportunity to experience God
• Create a more effective method of producing
  disciples
• Mobilize all members in service
• Become a church of being instead of a church of
  doing

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Four Principles To Consider
Clarity gt Movement gt Alignment gt Focus
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Clarity
The ability of the process to be communicated
and understood by the people.
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Movement
The sequential steps in the process that causes
people to move to greater areas of commitment.
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Alignment
The arrangement of all ministries and staff
around the same simple process.
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Focus
The commitment to abandon everything that falls
outside of the simple ministry process.
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What Will Guide Our Process?

• These four principles clarity knowing where
  we are going movement seeing how to get there
  alignment aiming everything in that direction
  and focus saying NO! to anything that doesnt
  fulfill the purpose these principles must guide
  us.

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FPHC Mission Statement

• To present Jesus Christ in a relevant and
  reliable way as Real God, to save and empower a
  community of Real People to serve as disciples in
  Real Time.

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FPHC Simple Church Process

• Experiencing Real God
• Developing a Community of Real People
• Serving in Real Time

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FPHC Vision

• To support Christian family formation through
• Experiencing Real God
• Developing Real People
• Serving in Real Time

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FPHC Goals

• Make our worship experience one that is
  intergenerational and inclusive
• Strengthen nursery, children and student
  ministries to produce disciples that serve
• Perform 25 outside weddings annually retaining 5
  families in our church
• Dedicate 50 children to God annually retaining 10
  families in our church
• Reduce the divorce rate in Greenville/Pitt by 5
  by 2020
• Recruit and train 20 marriage mentor couples by
  2009
• Eliminate divorce as an authentic option within
  our church (Scriptural exceptions)

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Important Vocabulary

• Ministry comprised of all three process
  components
• Process component fulfills one of the three
  process steps
• Bridge produces movement from one step of the
  process to another
• Program special days and events

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Clarity

• The ability of the process to be
• communicated and understood
• by the people.
• Define it
• Illustrate it
• Measure it
• Discuss it

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Define it!Mission statement fulfilled in process

• To present Jesus Christ in a relevant and
  reliable way as Real God, to save and empower a
  community of Real People to serve as disciples in
  Real Time.
• Experiencing Real God
• Developing Real People
• Serving In Real Time

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Illustrate it!

• Visual image(s) will help people remember the
  process and reinforce participation.
• The illustration should reflect the process
• The illustration should show the progress
• The illustration should help simplify
• Suggestions
• 3 arches Existing Logo
• Clock Stair steps

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FPHC Discipleship Process Logo
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Measure it!

• What gets evaluated gets done
• We should measure horizontally not vertically we
  cannot measure ones relationship with God we
  can only measure levels of involvement.
• We should measure at each level in our process
• Experiencing Developing Serving
• -
  -
• 
  -
• 
  
• ACS software will provide us the ability to do
  this but we will need the help of every ministry
  leader

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Discuss it!

• We should be passionate all the time
• We should communicate all the time
• We should keep it fresh
• We should share testimonies about it

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Revised FPHC Mission Statement

• To present Jesus Christ in a relevant and
  reliable way as Real God, to save and empower a
  community of Real People to serve as disciples in
  Real Time.

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Movement

• The sequential steps in the
• process that causes people
• to move to greater areas
• of commitment.
• Strategic Programming
• Sequential Programming
• Intentional Movement
• Clear Next Steps

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Strategic Programming

• Begin with our clearly defined process
• Choose one program for each phase of our process
• Design each program for a specific aspect of the
  process
• Place the programs in sequential order

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Sequential Programming

• Order the sequence of our programs to reflect our
  process
• Design a clear entry point to our process
• Identify the next levels of programming

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Intentional Movement

• Create short-term steps
• Capitalize on relationships
• Consider the now what?
• Connect people to groups
• People stick to a church when they get involved
  in a small group. (Tom Rainer)

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Clear Next Step

• Take new believers to the next level
• Clear next step to discipleship

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Bridges or Transitions

• Any special event needs to be designed as a
  bridge to transition people into one of the three
  segments of the process
• Experiencing Real God
• Developing Real People
• Serving Real Time
• Membership orientation, first things first (new
  converts), Get REAL, or CFNs need to build a
  bridge to transition people deeper into the
  fabric and life of the church

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Alignment
The arrangement of all ministries and staff
around the same simple process.
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Alignment Issues

• Recruit on the process
• Offer accountability
• Implement the process everywhere
• Unite around the process
• New ministry alignment

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Recruit On The Process

• Im not looking for the best players. I am
  looking for the right ones.
• Leadership that is moving in the right direction
• Leadership that will embrace the process
• Leadership that will practice the same values,
  priorities and theological views

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Offer Accountability

• Vibrant churches said, Our church staff is held
  accountable for how the church process is
  implemented
• Annual reviews are centered on the process
• Movement processes are evaluated so that movement
  is enhanced and improved continually
• Each person is to see their role as part of the
  team

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Implement The Same Process Everywhere

• Put the logo of the process everywhere
• Increase understanding
• Promote unity
• Whole church family experiences the same process
• Be sure all ministries understand how their
  process needs to align with the churchs and/or
  understand their contribution to the overall
  church process

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Unite Around The Process

• No exceptions can be tolerated if the church is
  to be united in its process
• Some transitions will occur later than others due
  to certain factors but timetables for ultimate
  alignment must be forecasted
• Prior commitments to outside partnerships
• History of success
• Established leadership that need time to embrace
  the simple church concept

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New Ministry Alignment

• Check the fit of every new ministry initiative
• Does this ministry fit the simple process?
• If this ministry does not fit the simple process,
  it cannot be launched
• Set up a review group to address the relevance of
  a new ministry initiative to your simple process
• Relieves the direct pressure from you as pastor
• Involves others in the preservation of your
  process creates ownership

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Focus
The commitment to abandon everything that falls
outside of the simple ministry process.
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Focus Issues

• Eliminate non-essential programs
• Limit adding
• Reduce special events
• Make it easy to communicate
• Keep it simple to understand

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Eliminate Non-essential Programs

• Pay close attention to how you walk not as
  unwise people but as wise making the most of
  the time because the days are evil. (Ephesians
  515-16)
• Be wise stewards of time
• Be wise stewards of money

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Limit Adding

• Must be careful not to add
• Must have the less is more attitude
• Must provide options not additional programs

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Reduce Special Events

• Funnel existing events into an existing program
• Combine new events with an existing program
• Use special events strategically

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Easily Communicated

• The simple process must be communicated easily
  and repeatedly
• The simple process must be our conviction and who
  we are
• The simple process must be easily communicated by
  all leadership

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Simple To Understand

• Choose simple language to state your simple
  process
• Be brief and to the point
• Focus on the greatness of the simple process