I would like to make a short observation based on my experiences thus far…Men are excited about Simple Church.
I have long felt that the modern church has a tendency to be primarily attractive to women for a host of reasons ( I will not get into these reasons here for the sake of time. However, I do believe that the book Wild at Heart addresses this point quite well). Dr. Albert Mohler, whose blog I enjoy reading regularly, once commented that “the Church at large is bereft of men who will lead: take initiative, seek out problems, and do their best to fix them.” But why is this? Certainly, sin and Satan deserve some credit. I also believe that us church folk rarely ask men to lead in real tangible ways. Sure we have lots of programs for which men can volunteer and many events for men to attend, but the way we organize ourselves can (at the very least) often project the image that there really is only a need for a few leaders with real fixing authority. This is especially a problem when you are a part of a large church. For men to shoulder real responsibility and tackle real problems and fix them often means navigating numerous roadblocks and meetings sometimes only to find that they really never had the authority to fix anything in the first place. For many men, it becomes easier to just come to church and help out from time to time. Thus they end up only reading about being spiritual leaders in God’s church, but only serving as a “spectator.” While watching a “game” can be fun, I’m convinced that when it comes to our faith, men not only want to “play,” but need to in order to exercise their gifts and experience all that God has for them.
So along comes this simple idea…simple church! Every man, indeed every believer, is a priest. He has a voice weekly when he gathers with the church. Problems can be solved on the go as the Spirit leads men to fix them. Men are given the responsibility to lead: to “seek out problems and fix them” in real tangible ways. Men have opportunities to initiate ministry week to week. Since the groups are small, more opportunities for being a servant leader are created. Spiritual responsibilities are spread out. Yes, spiritual responsibility–the very thing men are accused to shun–is creating excitement among men who desire to fulfill this Great Commission of our Lord. It sounds a lot like an adventure!
Just today, I saw a man’s eyes light up at the thought of leading others to Lord and then being used by God to help them become disciples of Jesus within the context of a community that would gather in their home (i.e. simple church) and eventually be sent out to lead and disciple others. Yes, men are made to be used by God to lead–first their families then others. Could it be possible that God would use this simple church movement to unleash an army or ordinary men to advance the Kingdom in our community? I do pray so! Certainly it is happening to some extent already.
Excellent article. Makes me think of the word “ownership”.
I really like what you’re doing here. Keep working that way. Take care!