The book is quite intriguing, with a catchy title: Deliberate Simplicity. A while back I heard about a church in Washington that had locations in several countries (and continents). At the time it seemed as if they all were piped in by video feed to one location. That impression led me to be quite skeptical, I must admit.
As I browsed through, and read much of the book, my interest was piqued. Christ the King Community Church aims to be deliberate about three emphases: worship, small groups, and outreach. More than that, they intentionally choose to not make anything else a priority. They encourage ministry to be initiated and fueled by individuals, but they shy away from packing the lives of their members chuck full of programs and church functions. Keeping the main thing, the main thing, this church movement has had a global impact.
With a criticism of the status quo, and an emphasis on new methods for church growth, it would be easy to write this off as another emergent church phenomenon. But upon reading the various emphases covered in Dave Browning’s book, I don’t think that’s a fair assessment. Some valid criticisms are raised against Christians isolating themselves in a counterculture of their choosing. Meanwhile the spotlight is shone on the importance of outreach. What’s more, they aim to spread not by building megachurches which attract seekers, but by focusing on small groups where people are encouraged to go out and find the lost. The worship services stress authentic, real worship, that doesn’t cater to the lost, but lovingly shares the truth with them. Their honest, passionate message is reaching thousands across our nation and around the world. For that reason alone, Browning’s book is worth a look.
I was able to ask Dave, the author and a founding pastor of CTK, a few questions about his book, and he was kind enough to answer them. This is my first time actually giving questions to an author, so I’m afraid my “interview” isn’t all that insightful. I do thank Dave Browning for being kind enough to reply. After you read the Q & A, I encourage you to check out the book for yourself, and consider picking up a copy.
Q: I like your focus on being deliberately simple in how we “do church”. Does your emphasis on a multi-site, and even multi-country model take away from that simplicity?
A: It has become harder for us as we have continued to expand. But that is not to say it can’t be done. It just may take more work and discipline. The two words through which we try to filter our organization are “virtuous” and “empowering.” Whatever we do we want it to be virtuous and empowering.
Q: Would you consider yourself a proponent of the Emergent church philosophy? Will the principles in your book help all kinds of churches, not primarily those more open to an Emergent church perspective?
A: I don’t consider myself Emergent, but I can’t say that I am an expert on that word either. What I have sensed about where I’m coming from, relative to other restless young leaders, is that my learning style has been action/reflection instead of reflection/action. We have gone out and done it first, and then tried to figure out how to describe it. That has been a pretty messy process, but rich in divine discovery. When the process is non-linear it sometimes defies the neat categories. In some ways, CTK is like a can on the shelf without a label on it. You have to open it up and look inside to figure out what it is. I kind of like that. I do think that there are applicable principles that can apply across the theological spectrum.
Disclaimer: This book was provided by the publisher. The reviewer was under no obligation to offer a positive review.
This book is available for purchase at the following sites: Amazon.com or direct from Zondervan.
From Andrew Rogers at Zondervan:
To get this blog tour started off right I’m giving away free copies of “Deliberate Simplicity” to the first 15 people who email andrewrogers.work@gmail.com with “Deliberate Dave” in the subject line and their shipping address in the body of the email. (Why 15? Because yesterday was the Ides of March. E’ Tu’ Brute?)
This is a Facebook exclusive giveaway. Tell you friends to join the Leadership Network Innovation Series Facebook group!
To add a little bit to Bob’s question above about being emergent, sometimes visiting people are unsure how to categorize us. Are we Pentecostals? No. Are we Charismatics? Not exactly. Are we Evangelicals? In doctririe, yes, but we are open to the ministries associated with the gifts of fue Spirit, though not in the emotionálly based manner usually associated with pentecostalism. We take most of our clues from the really ancient church (circa A.D. 50) that met house to house and in the temple courts.
Dave,
I respect the Biblicity (is that a word?) of the small group / house-to-house movement.
By Emergent I’m thinking more the idea that doctrine is passe, loving everybody is the point, and we don’t know where we stand on anything.
The church I attend now is open to all the gifts of the Spirit.
I think you guys are feeling free to think in terms of what is effective and what is a Scriptural emphasis. I don’t think your model rules out a doctrinally robust kind of a church using it. There’s much I’ve gained from reading through your book, so thanks for sharing some important truths.
I don’t think everyone is going to follow suit with all the CTK essentials, but hopefully we can learn from you guys and aim to be more deliberate about focusing on the more important things better.
Blessings in Christ,
Bob Hayton
Bob, yeah that is a good way of putting it. Doctrine, as a category, is important. We’re just being pretty selective about what we put in that category. Or maybe better, we are breaking it out into essentials, non-essentials, and then only focusing on essentials.