Write About Now

Although I’ve now worked as a “consultant” for several organizations, I’ve always hated the term. For one thing, so much of what consultants produce just seems like common sense. (“Oh, so if I never say anything affirming to my staff members, they might feel demoralized?”)

Consultants are also presumed to have the answers, when often I find the people within the organization already know the best course to pursue—they just need a facilitator (my preferred term) to help them realize it.

In any case, during some of my recent work as a facilitant (consultitator?), I read Simple Church by Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger. The premise is, um, simple: Churches should resist the increasing complexity of modern life by designing a clear process for connecting people to God and helping them grow. This blueprint for discipleship should be easily communicated, easily understood and composed of sequential steps moving toward greater commitment. Staff roles and ministries should be aligned around the process, and anything extra should be eliminated.

Although I found much of the book to be just more common sense, I was fascinated by the authors’ boldness in calling for churches to say no to any program or “ministry” not reaching the ultimate goals of the church. Like many simple ideas, this is harder to do than to talk about.

“Your programs must be submissive to your ministry process,” the authors write. “They are tools to facilitate the process of spiritual growth.” Defining a spiritual growth process, then concentrating on the few initiatives truly nurturing people through that process toward maturity, may require tough decisions about the MOPS program or the Christmas extravaganza. Or it may require more work for leaders and volunteers; as an example of one way to remain focused, the book recommends emphasizing stewardship by offering the material through existing small groups rather than adding another weeknight class for already busy members. But this is harder: it requires coordination of curriculum and training of dozens or hundreds of small group leaders instead of just one teacher, and it presumes all of the church’s groups are already on an identical schedule.

Difficult or not, Rainer and Geiger are saying it. Jim Collins spends a chapter of Good to Great saying it. And as I review this blog, I’m even saying it. Perhaps I should be a consultant after all.