Understanding "Deliberate Simplicity" Book Report

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Deliberate Simplicity How the Church Does More by Doing Less," is a 2009 book by David Browning (part of the 'Leadership Network Innovation Series by Zondervan Publishers) describing a new Christian church movement of simplicity. David Browning is an innovator who had deliberately embraced simplicity, moving away from the 'big, bigger, best' mega-church and corporate church models to a 'less is more' spartan approach to development of churches. As the founder of Christ the King Community Church International (CTK), Browning has begun a movement that is expanding rapidly. Named by Outreach magazine as being one of the fastest growing churches in the United States, CTK is also considered to be among the most innovative. The CTK 'family' of churches has expanded beyond the United States to other countries, and their work is having a considerable impact on the perception of what a church 'should be'.

'Deliberate Simplicity' is Browning's 2009 book in which he discusses the model for CTK and his thinking in developing this approach. Browning works from six principles that are a part of his 'equation for action': minimality, intentionality, reality, multility, velocity, and scalability. Five of these six words are familiar to us; the sixth, 'multility' is an unfamiliar term that an internet search fails to define. However, the word is found as the name of an OS-X app or a garden tool with one handle but six different heads (trowel, culti-rake, V-hoe, flat hoe, cutting edge, and/or weeder). It appears to be a concatenation of the terminologies 'multi' and 'utility' that Browning uses to express the concept of keeping the church unified, simple, pure and 'cellular'.

The essence of Browning's approach to the CTK churches is his 'less is more' model, always focused and working from his simple equation for action. The church should be and/or have minimality (focus on simple); intentionality (focus on mission); reality (focus on real); velocity (focus on movement), scalability (focus on expansion), and multility (focus on cellular). Thus, 'Deliberate Simplicity' is Browning's guide to an active growing church movement that he seeks to share with church leaders to enhance their ministries.

Foundations

The introduction to Browning's book describes the simplicity of a church where the ministry is performed by ordinary individuals and it has been the pastor's job to recognize, organize, train, as well as, support these ministers' (Browning, 2009, pg 15). This description, which continues to discuss a church that meets in homes and is not about grandiose buildings, is the image that Browning wishes us to hold in order to understand his basic premise, the often repeated 'less is more'. Browning's vision includes more baptisms (Browning, 2009, pg. 3) and more members, a growing alive church that meets in tiny groups, not mega-auditoriums. Browning's world-view, or church-view, is one where the message of faith spreads, because the simplicity of the 'equation' enables the church to reach out and continue growing, with no geographical limits (Browning, 2009, pg 3).

Starting in 1999, the Christ The King Community Church went from a workshop in April to a monthly growth rate of 12%, increasing each week by nearly 500 church-goers; at the end of 1999, CTK was up to 38 groups who met weekly. During the four years between 2004 and 2008, CTK expanded to a ten-city range of workshops, and retaining simplicity as the bottom line, has only continued to grow.

Browning (2009) ascribes the success of the CTK mission to the six aspects of his equation, (vide supra). A closer look at each of these, as applied to CTK demonstrates the 'less is more' foundation. First, minimality: according to Browning (2009), it is important for a church to remain small and restrict its activities, avoiding temptation to expand into new activities. Focusing on workshops with small groups where a real impact can be made, Browning stresses that the inter-personal exchange is pivotal in keeping the church alive and growing (Browning, 2009, pg 55). The church becomes stronger with a small group focus, and a simple, minimal, message and activities. This could be considered the ministry focus, what the ministry is about.

Next, intentionally keeps the church focus on the goals of the ministry, which include the church's mission: outreach and growth, spreading the gospel, or what is called 'The Great Commission'. The full title of Browning's book is 'Deliberate Simplicity: How the church does more by doing less' (2009). Part of this focus includes not allowing the focus to shift beyond the stated and planned mission, and specifically to avoid any urges to expand.

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The term reality is about 'keeping it real', although precisely what this means is more difficult to explain. Basically it comes down to remembering what the Church is about, and what it isn't about. It also includes an understanding that everyone is a 'sinner', and all should be welcomed.

The unusual term multility is intended by Browning to indicate 'keep it cellular', localized, focused, and to remember Christ is the focus. At the same time, it refers to growth like a cell, growth by what could be considered 'cloning', to take the small local church that is working and make another just like it in another town, and another town, and another town, and so forth. This term is frankly off-putting and silly, when there are plenty of usable words that might more readily provide the key concept Browning is after, such as perhaps 'multiplicity'.

For velocity, the idea is to keep things moving, not to slow down or waste time; and scalability refers to the transferability of what works in one church to the new church that is to be established, and quickly. Browning's formula for all of this is expressed as "< = - X + ?," where each symbol represents part of his six values. Within Browning's book, each term is given an entire chapter where he speaks at some length about the concepts and how they apply.

Ultimately, Browning's 'Deliberate Simplicity' is reminiscent of simple monks of the past, giving up everything for the practice of faith, yet in a harnessed manner that engenders growth. It is also apparently not really novel, if one considers other churches that are relatively simple. However, the most important fact is that Browning's method and message are effective. They have clearly resulted in growth for CTK International, with what is now not only 12 states but also seven or eight countries. Simplicity in bringing worshipers together, simplicity in remembering that the purpose is precisely that worship, and the mission to expand the message of the Gospel have been effective for Browning and his approach is being paid attention to by others.

In the conclusion of his book, Browning readdresses the importance of his six elements in order to bring about what could be called a 'real Christian community', where the members not only help one another, but also reach out to others. Browning feels that his method is the correct path to create a church that is 'a real Christian community', reaching out to others (Browning, 2009-page 109) through acceptance, forgiveness, and love. Is this indeed a future path that others should emulate? This remains to be seen.

Implications

For any Christian ministry, large or small, there are elements within Browning's path that would and could be useful. Simplicity is important to remember, as is returning to the reality of what the message of Christ was and is, and what a Christian life is and should be for the individual and for a community. Many of the specific steps that Browning outlines can be usefully employed by other ministries, particularly to return to a central focus and not over-do or over-reach, and even not to forget those who are too often forgotten.

Limitations

To some extant, one might critique Browning's book in terms of its single-minded focus on its own path, failing to mention that others may have walked along the same road previously, and even may have provided inspiration. This is both a fair, and an unfair critique, as to some extent, as it is only logical that Browning would focus on his own work in his own book. Obviously other churches besides Christ the King Community Church have sought simplicity over the many eons since Christ lived. Whether or not the historical precedents are something that Browning might have mentioned is almost a 'niggling' criticism, as his goal is to write about and explain what 'he' has done, with the help of his church members, obviously, and his focus is on addressing precisely how he came to his 'philosophy' of Deliberate Simplicity, and what this has meant for him and for the CTK community both large and small.

Browning, as the pastor who founded the Christ the King Community Church, has spread his idea over seven countries and twelve states in only eight years. The Christian message of CTK is non-denominational, and sinners are welcomed. In its deepest essence, Browning's 'Deliberate Simplicity' (2009, pg 37).....

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