Simple Church is Beautiful

Our new church's simple stage and Christmas decorations, 2013.

It's June 2009, and there are still several steps I must take before officially launching a new church. Assessments, interviews, marketing, procuring a meeting place, the list is long and rather daunting. Most of the requirements I face excite me. However, there's one requirement in particular that weighs on me: fundraising.

I'll do it because I have to, and I have faith that God will provide. But my thinking here is that, "if the mission of the church is to tell lost people about Jesus, how much fundraising should this actually take?" It's a fair question to ask, especially when breaking down the daunting church planting mission to it's simplest form: proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ.

For my vision of church, I wish to keep things simple as simple as the mandate that Jesus gave to his followers. Here are a few thoughts on the benefits of keeping a new church as simple as possible, and why this is actually a beautiful thing.

Simple Church Follows the Biblical Church Growth Model

The story of the church begins in the book of Acts with a small group of faithful people (about 120) left over from Jesus' ministry. We know they were organized in leadership, and that they had a clear mission, but we don't hear much about money. When the Holy Spirit gave birth to the church on Pentecost, the numbers of believers increased rapidly. Instead of taking this large crowd and pooling together resources and raising funds for a bigger place to meet, the church simply moved their meetings to a very public and very free place, the Temple courts. It's interesting to me how willingly the church moved out of the upper room, and into the public forum. If such a revival were experienced today, I wonder how many modern churches would remodel and expand their simple upper room into an elaborate revival headquarters.

Another simple church story from Acts is found in chapter 3. Days after Peter preached his sermon, Peter and John are approached by a beggar near the temple asking for money. Did Peter and John dip into the church's benevolent fund or call up the para-church outreach ministry? Peter's response is stunning, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Then, Peter physically helped him up, and the cripple was healed, giving praise to God.

Wait. Hold up. Peter was the leader of the growing church, didn't he have some cash on hand from his full-time salary as Senior Pastor? You know, the salary he worked years to raise before starting the Jerusalem church? No, it says Peter had nothing.

I have to admit that I have lied to street beggars before and told them that I had nothing to give when I was really bursting at the seams with cash, but I think Peter honestly had nothing. Unlike my awkward response to beggars, I am sure Peter did not tell a “convenient lie.”

Did the church have any money at this time? Yes, just 4 verses prior, we get a romantic snapshot of the early church and we see offerings being taken up. What are they doing with these funds? Paying salaries? Buying tracks of land to build on? Shopping for the sound equipment? No, read closely, “All the believers had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.” They didn't have a building, and the money they raised went toward helping each other. What a beautiful, yet simple picture of church.

Simple Church is Practiced Around the World

I recently attended a discipleship training class taught by a foreign missionary. He told how, in the poor African country he serves in, he trains several local pastors who have started multiple new churches. What does it look like to start a new church in the poorest part of Africa? Years of networking and fundraising? Obtaining loans to build a building? Dumping piles of cash on an amazing church website?

He showed us a picture that told a thousand words. It was a newly trained pastor, sitting under a tree with a group of new converts, teaching the Bible. What a beautiful yet simple church.

The Redemption Movement enjoying a simple meal outside, 2013.

Simple Church is Beautiful to Postmoderns

Government bailouts. Greed. Exploiting workers. These are negative images a growing number of Americans associate with giant corporations. People who mistrust the slick/impersonal style of the corporate machine might have reservations about trusting well-funded churches that attempt to copy the professional attitudes of corporate America. A church built on “professionalism and excellence” and has a building resembling a mini-mall with every program imaginable (each with a cool hip logo), will only scare away people with trust issues who are seeking a simple and authentic encounter with God.

While I do believe the mega-church model has its benefits, not everyone is attracted to the mega-church way. A church with used furniture, meeting at an old storefront or a living room, using just the basic sound equipment, having candles instead of fancy stage lights, all while learning about Jesus from a pastor with ripped jeans and a T-shirt; everything about this church is designed to help a young postmodern man or woman feel comfortable enough to give the people sitting around them  trust enough to open up about their serious questions about faith.

What a beautiful yet simple church.