For example, the apostle john was considered a pillar in the early church, but his activity in acts is always tied to peter. In part one, echoes of a voice, wright isolates four voices left in the human soul which point toward god. It is a revelation that was received by the apostle john while he was in romanimposed exile on the island of patmos in the eastern mediterranean around 90 a. He lived, loved and taught among humanity about 2000 years ago. 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. They contain the history of the nation from davids death and solomons accession to the destruction of the kingdom of judah and the desolation of jerusalem, with a supplemental notice of the liberation of jehoiachin from his prison at babylon, twentysix years later. Ecclesiastes, esther, james, luke, romans, and ruth. In this video, im going to walk you through a simple live streaming setup for churches that is quick to assemble and easy to use, even for small or portable churches. Will help you gain a real sense of the scope and the intellectual journey of the christian from its foundations to today.
In the early church age, believers met wherever they couldusually homes acts 16. The following is a summary of what each book of the bible contains. 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. In 1977, i published a book titled knowing scripture, which is designed to help people master the basic rules of biblical interpretation. Next the authors describe the research project that led to the writing of this book.
The call towards the end of the book is that churches must return to a simple process of discipling people. The book is based on a study of onethousand socalled church dropouts who were interviewed about why they left. Each guide provides a template to lead a group through bible study, delving into scriptures wisdom and encouraging group. This book takes andy stanleys concept of the simple church, applies research, broadens the scope, and comes out with something that is new, fresh, and relevant to the evangelical church of the 21st century. This book has several outstanding and helpful points to make. If you are a church leader, you have been exposed to plenty of models, and most of them are on your shelf. This important question is examined and duly answered in essential church. Remove everything that does not lead to greater commitment and assimilationlove for god, love for. Here is a summary and overview of the book of acts.
The book of revelation, or the apocalypse as it is also called, is the last book of the bible. If you are a student of church growth theory, halt all conversations until you have had a chance to work through this book. The following outline is intended to be used while studying the book. Use of the material presented in the book simple discipleship will provide church leaders with a new comprehensive disciplemaking plan that will grow people and grow their churches. With those three summarizing catch phrases thom rainer and eric geiger begin one of the latest offerings to church growth literature, the simple church. I am a new comer, functioning as associate pastor, at a church that fits the description of both the simple church and of a breakout church see rainers book on the subject. Discover how churches that are successful in sharing the gospel are following four simple ideas. The senior pastor has been at the church for over 20 years and when i arrived, i was excited to share with him that i believed the church fit the description of a. Central to the christian faith is the fact that god came to earth as a man jesus christ. Or worse, you have blended a bunch of models into one schizophrenic plan. The importance of the book of acts the importance of this second of lukes twovolume work can. Jodi introduced two scenarios for the elders to ponder involving the simple church focus and what it means to be a disciple.
However, if simple church discovers that other customers are having the same issues, they will make programming changes to make that report or service available in the future. Simple church presents and defends the premise that churches should establish a simple process for maturing believers and model every aspect of their ministries after that process the good. The books of kings form only one book in the hebrew mss. Peter urges his readers to make every effort to grow in their faith, to remember that the promises of god spoken by the prophets and apostles are trustworthy, and to beware those who teach otherwise. Many of the church leaders we talk to are seeking an escape from the notsosimple life. An overview of the book of acts the life of the early church is recorded and preserved for us in the book of acts and the epistles. Rainer and eric geiger, simple church returning to gods process for making disciples nashville, broadman and holman, 2006 257pp. Church history in plain language audiobook by bruce l. Outstanding book giving an overview of church history from a fair minded viewpoint.
The idea behind the simple church movement is to emulate the gatherings of christfollowers in the book of acts. It points church leaders in the wrong directionstatistical research. Create a mission statement ministry blueprint built around the worship service, small groups, and community ministry teams. Returning to gods process for making disciples rainer. Now some strengths and weaknesses of simply being or in the case of this book the process of doing the church will be examined. To have a simple church, you must design a simple discipleship process. The length comes from the statistical analysis that is the basis for the whole book.
Although a great book and i still use it as a reference 20 years on, that book was anything but simple. 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. At a certain point, the timeline would get cluttered. Insights on the bible an overview of the books of the.
This updated trade paper edition includes a new chapter with further insights the authors have gained through hundreds of conversations with church leaders since this landmark books original release. Having done extensive research of churches across the u. Thom rainer is the president and ceo of lifeway christian resources. Overview of the book of revelation structure of the book of revelation a simple, face value understanding of prophetic scriptures revelation begins chapter 1 prologue chapter 2 the seven churches, part 1 chapter 3 the seven churches, part 2 chapter 4 heaven chapter 5 the large scroll chapter 6 the first six seals parenthesis i. Simple church book summary a case study of 400 churches conducted by thom s. Simple church as a fairly lengthy book about a simple process for the church. Youll see how relevant the bible still is to us today. They define a simple church as a congregation designed around a straightforward and strategic process that moves people through the stages of spiritual growth. Simple church begins by showing how the culture is embracing simplicity in business, fashion, style, and graphics 812. When using these study sheets it is best to use a king james version bible in order to avoid confusion. The second epistle of peter is a brief letter of reminders for firstcentury christians.
Rainers bestselling simple church cowritten this time with his son, research expert sam rainer. Simple church has compiled these study guides for the purposes of simplifying life, reprioritizing life, and cultivating a deeper walk with god. Simple church examines each idea, clearly showing why it is time to simplify. Perhaps the primary problem with the simple church movement, and the house church movement in general, is that they see the book of acts as a model for the church, which it was never intended to be. A simple church is a congregation designed around a straightforward and strategic process that moves people through the stages of spiritual growth. If that is the case, neither you nor the people in your church are. Relevant for modern christianity church history, on the surface, seems irrelevant to 21st century christianity.
I am a new comer, functioning as associate pastor, at a church that fits the description of both the simple church and of. The book begins with the ascension of jesus and goes on through pauls jail time in rome, which opens his ministry to the church at rome. The rise and fall of the antichrist appendix four a brief overview of the book of revelation. This churchs power would stem from its inventor and be equipped with the most ingenious spiritual genetic code, a. In this book we see the first mention of the dispensation of the holy spirit and jesus command to take his gospel to all the world. Rainer and geiger discovered that the healthiest churches in america tended to have a. Find resources here on the books of the bible that will add value to your personal study of the greatest book ever written. The book of acts is the history of the early church, not a mandate for church structure throughout the ages.
A brief overview of the book of revelation the rise and. How to make disciples in the 21 st century was published and released by church smart resources in november 2009. The goal of this book is to help the person who has never had a simple introduction to the bible. This collection of study guides encompasses six books of the bible. Simple church new edition ebook 9781433673535 by thom s. Watch our overview video on the book of deuteronomy, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. They wanted to find if there was a relationship between being simple and being effective. These bible studies are published by the middletown bible church, 349 east street, middletown, connecticut 06457 u. The gospel of matthew a chapter by chapter analysis.
A solid book that gives good insight and practical ideas for streamlining a church to have the greatest effect on lives for christ. I frankly think this book is one of the most important helps that ive ever been able to provide for people. Simple church new edition ebook christian book distributors. This compilation of the themes of the bible will allow you to do just that.
Rainer and eric geiger found that the healthiest churches in america tended to have a simple process for making disciples, they have clarity about the process, they move christians intentionally through the process, they are focussed on the elements of the process and. In deuteronomy, moses gives final words of wisdom and warning before. Get a basic overview of the bible ligonier ministries. However, christianity, unlike any other religion, is deeply rooted in history. Eric has authored or coauthored several books including creature of the word and the best selling church leadership book, simple church. It will help to keep the whole of the book before you as you work your way through each section. Simple church is a lifegiving, relational church led by pastor aaron delong.