the chronicles of sarnia

When you think of simple, what comes to mind?  I think of the Google homepage.  I think of the Dollar Menu at McDonald’s.  I think of velcro shoes.  Wii.  iPod.  Converse Allstars.  No Name steaks.  Why am I attracted to all of these things?  Each of these products drastically narrow my options down to a few very basic things.  Ultimately, each of these things have competitors that copy them after they see that simple works.  Why does simple work?  We live in a complex world that is traveling at breakneck speed around the clock.  Our world has a Wal-mart and/or Super Target around every corner.  Reducing the need to travel to shopping malls.  Am I the only person in the world that becomes a little overly aggressive after prolonged exposure to the white noise found in shopping malls?  Think about it.  The white noise in malls is an audible representation of the subtle chaos that passes as sane in our society.  

Put yourself back in the mall.  You see customers bustling past shop windows, up and down escalators, constantly roaming, consuming material goods to satisfy their weary soul.  At once, the white noise stops.  Time comes to a screeching halt.  Customers’ expressions are frozen.  No movement.  No sound.  The only thing you’re certain of is the  silence.  Now isn’t that nice for a change?  You can actually have a coherent thought!

Churches have taken the shopping mall approach to church: offer as much variety, advertise to your target market, get them in the door any way you can.  Once you get them in the door, it doesn’t matter where they spend their money as long as it’s somewhere.  Sometimes I experience that same white noise effect when I look at various church’s home page / calendar / mission / vision / purpose statement / flannelgraph.  Just kidding about flannelgraph.  I just wanted to say it.  Does any one even know what flannelgraph is?  It’s what the early church used before HD bigscreens were introduced to Sunday Schools in the late 1900’s.  After a while Jesus’ beard and hair became a fuzzy mess.  Ah, flannelgraph.  Those were the days.  I digress.  Isn’t that true of churches? (I’m talking about the malls again.)  We tend to solicit whoever comes in the door to attend some event or ministry.  And as long as they’re a warm body occupying a seat or filling a role, we consider it a success.    

What if instead of offering every possible ministry/event/seminar/concert/workshop known to man, we have a clear, compelling focus?  What if we stopped a hundred things that we did half-well to do a handful of things with all the tenacity and vigor that God can supply!?  That would take tremendous focus.  Unparalleled resolve.  And a miracle.

In Part 1 of this blog, hopefully you started thinking: Wow, there’s alot of needless activity in my life.  I should simplify.  If not, great.  But you may be Amish.  In Part 2 I’ll discuss what simple looks like for churches across the country and why simple is so paramount to the success of the Church (universal) in the 21st century.   

P.S.  I enjoy simple pleasures like sitting in a comfy chair with a book and/or journal, watching my daughter take her first steps (click this link to watch her take her first steps on video: http://tofkristi.blogspot.com/2008/10/new-milestones.html), eating basmati rice with out soy sauce.  Okay basmati rice with out soy sauce is not a simple pleasure, but it’s definately simple and more of a method of survival when I was a college student.

P.P.S. If I was the CEO of Culver’s, I’d say bring the menu down to three things: butterburgers, fries, and shakes.  All good things come in threes.

P.P.P.S.  Some of these thoughts are not original.  Most are somewhere in the pages of “Simple Church” by Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger.  Incredible book supported by lots of data, prayer and flannelgraph.