Book #4... "Simple Church"

I finally finished book #4 (and I know, I'm way behind... but I have plans to start catching up soon).

It was "Simple Church" by Tom Rainer and Eric Geiger. Overall, this was a good book. I read it much too slow. It reads really fast, but the staff at FVCC are reading it and discussing it together in staff meetings. I really should have read it and then came back and reread chapters before each meeting. Instead, I read it a chapter or two a week over 6 weeks when I really should have read it in a week, as it's only 9 chapters.

I would recommend this book for anyone looking to simply ministry. Thom and Eric provide a pretty good framework for making some changes and sending you in an intentional direction. In fact, often as I was reading it reflected some of the principles that I have been familiar with (and are currently practicing) in our student ministry.

The one criticism that I have of the book is that often it leaves you with the sense of needing to make some of those changes but without the "teeth" to really make the changes. Some of the tips for making changes are tips that I could have written without reading the book and most people could come up without reading the book. But if you are looking for someone else to give you the "kick in the pants" that you need and say things that you are already thinking, then "Simple Church" might be a good place to start. But if you are looking for a more "teethy" understanding of how to make changes, you might start somewhere else.

Overall, I'm glad that I read it. It was a good read. I just wish that I would have read it quicker. A book like this should not be spread out over 6 weeks of reading.

Now... on to other books!

Jim