Based on case studies of four hundred american churches, authors thom rainer and eric geiger prove that the process for. Book summary of simple church by thom rainer and eric. This book is a basic walk through of two types of churches and how they do ministry. Rainer is president and ceo of lifeway christian resources, one of the largest christian resource companies worldwide, and the bestselling coauthor of simple church. Simple churches thrive by taking four ideas to heart. Rainer is the president and ceo of lifeway christian resources. Prior to founding church answers, rainer served as president and ceo of. Rainer is the president and ceo of lifeway christian resources, one of. Simple church by thom rainer, eric geiger jim erwin. Simple church makes the compelling case, based on empirical evidence, that churches should simplify the way they approach ministry. First church has a different mission statement for every activity while simple church has every activity revolve around one mission statement. This important question is examined and duly answered in essential church.
As pastors and church leaders we sometimes fall into the trap of thinking busyness effectiveness but this is not necessarily the case. Rainer, 9780805447996, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Based on case studies of 400 american churches, authors thom rainer and eric geiger prove that the process for making disciples has quite often become too. While i am not a fan of institutional churches or of the church membership classes that go with them, i do understand that if a. In simple church, authors thom rainer and eric geiger share their conclusions based on the case studies of 400 north american churches that their discipleship processes are often far too complicated and show an easier, more effective way of making disciples. Simple church looks at the process of discipleship in a church. He is a 1977 graduate of the university of alabama and earned his master of divinity and ph. First church has many activities andor programs while simple church has very few. With insights based on case studies of 400 american churches, thom rainer and eric geiger prove the disciplemaking process is often too complex.
Why do so many young adults 18 to 22 leave the church, and what will it take to bring them back. With insights based on case studies of 400 american churches, thom rainer and eric geiger. Also a respected pastor and researcher, he has written more than twenty books and coauthored the no. Rainer is president and ceo of lifeway christian resources, one of the largest christian resource companies in the world. On todays rainer report, we look back at the book and discuss how it. To design a simple, stepby step process that moves people through various stages of spiritual growth. It points church leaders in the wrong directionstatistical research.
Rainer and his wife, nellie jo, have three grown sons. Coronavirus left pastors wife unconscious for weeks but he prayed until she woke up army chaplain under fire for sharing john pipers book coronavirus and christ 12 christians killed, couple kidnapped from church during wedding in nigeria. Simple church audiobook by thom rainer, eric geiger. Rainer is the founder and ceo of church answers, and online community and resource for church leaders. Simple church is not about eliminating everything, its about a process of discipleship. Walking you through an easytoimplement plan, rainer encourages you to be honest about the level of friendliness in your church. Essential church reclaiming a generation of dropouts by. One of the books i read this week was simple church by thom rainer and eric geiger. Geiger, eric multiawarded national hit simple church shares a clear message from case studies of 400 north american congregations. Geiger, eric encourages pastors to attract church patrons through timetested, simple means of sharing the gospel, using case studies of four hundred american churches that experienced growth through clarity, movement, alignment, and focus. Before coming to lifeway, he served at the southern baptist theological seminary for twelve years where he was the founding dean of the billy graham school of missions and evangelism. I finally had a chance to read the book simple church by thom rainer and. The length comes from the statistical analysis that is the basis for the whole book. It was also recognized as a monthly best seller, a gold medallion award winner, and a platinum book award winner by the evangelical christian publishers association, and recogniz.
A simple church is a congregation designed around a straightforward and strategic process that moves people through the stages. The book is based on a study of onethousand socalled church dropouts who. Thom rainer looks closely at each idea and shows you why its time to simplify and how to start. Rainer and his wife, nellie jo, have three grown sons, several grandchildren, and live in nashville, tennessee. The book is based on a significant research project done through lifeway christian resources. Discover how churches that are successful in sharing the gospel are following four simple ideas. Simple church is a challenge to rethink all the good things we do in church. Rainers bestselling simple church cowritten this time with his son, research expert sam rainer. As with rick warrens purposedriven church, thom rainer and eric geiger present a strategy of determining the purposes of the church and building programs to serve those purposes. In the book, simple church, by thom rainer and eric geiger, we learn that leaders in the church are called to be designers, not programmers. Rainer is a senior pastor, writer, and the president and ceo of rainer research.
Thom rainer and eric geiger have collaborated to bring to us a work that is by no. But his most recent book, i am a church member, is severely misguided and misinformed. Simple church examines each idea, clearly showing why it is time to simplify. Church people are asked to do too many things and though, as a pastor, i do have a desire to do fewer things and simplify my schedule and the churchs schedule, i am encouraged that there may legitimately be a way out there to do things more simply.
Over 500 churches responded to a comprehensive survey, with roughly half of respondents considered growing. Simple church and millions of other books are available for instant access. I have benefited greatly from his books and research. Rainer is the president and ceo of lifeway christian resources, one of the largest christian resource companies in the world. Simple church offers a strategy for churches to simplify their disciplemaking processes, thereby increasing the effectiveness with which they advance gods kingdom. With insights based on case studies of four hundred american. Simple church clearly calls for christians to return to the simple gospelsharing methods of jesus. Prior to lifeway, he served at the southern baptist theological seminary for twelve years where he was the founding dean of the billy graham school of missions and evangelism. Simple church by thom rainer and eric geiger can be summarized with the books tagline.
Essential church reclaiming a generation of dropouts. Thom rainer is the founder and ceo of church answers. It is not that rainer and geiger have come up with something new, but rather, they have pinpointed a methodology that has consistently produced positive results in churches. Having done extensive research of churches across the u. Rainer and geiger go a few steps further, however, in arguing for the need for a. Prior to founding church answers, rainer served as president and ceo of lifeway christian resources. With those three summarizing catch phrases thom rainer and eric geiger begin one of the latest offerings to church growth literature, the simple church. Recognizing that the healthiest churches in america tended to have a simple process for making disciples ix, rainer and geiger began a research project which confirmed that there is a highly significant correlation between the. Rainer is president and ceo of lifeway christian resources, one of the.
It is primarily designed for church leaders to understand how to view ministry through a new paradigm to help their church be more effective and better stewards. Rainer is an american writer, researcher, speaker, and former president and ceo of lifeway christian resources, an entity of the southern baptist convention in nashville, tennessee. He is also a bestselling author and leading expert in the field of church research. Returning to gods process for making disciples by rainer, thom s. While i appreciate the concept of the book, it is selfdefeating in its length. Through a study of four hundred churches, thom rainer and eric geiger discovered that vibrant and growing churches have simple processes of discipleship.
Though i was excited to read it, and agree in principle with the simple church concept, that every church needs to drastically simplify what it is doing so that it can do a better job of making disciples, i was a tiny bit disappointed with some of the approaches used by the authors. Eric has authored or coauthored several books including the bestselling church leadership book, simple church. Using case studies of 400 american churches, rainer and geiger demonstrate that christian discipling has often become too complex and intimidating to be effective with postmodern congregations. If church leaders take this call seriously, then they are charged with a very important responsibility. If you are a church leader, you have been exposed to plenty of models. Rainer and art rainer interviewed a crosssection of 1,077 individuals to confirm that most people feel their lives are overly stressful and misguided, not allowing enough time for what really counts. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Rainer is the founder and ceo of church answers, an online community and resource for church leaders. Rainers bestselling simple church cowritten this time with his son, research expert sam rainer the book is based on a study of onethousand socalled church dropouts who were interviewed. Our pastor set this forth as a means to challenge each of us to think biblically, stretch ourselves theologically, and avoid the mind rut that many church staff members find themselves in postseminary. Rainer and art rainer show how four key goals clarity, movement, alignment, focus can begin to foster a life that is more spiritual and less busy, a life rich in experiences with family and friends rather than doublebooked todo lists and late nights at the office.
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