This book is quite intriguing, with its catchy title: Deliberate Simplicity. A while back I heard about a church in Washington that had locations in several countries (and continents). At the time it seemed as if they all were piped in by video feed to one location. That impression led me to be quite skeptical of this book (which discusses that very same church network), I must admit.

As I browsed through, and read much of the book, my interest was piqued. Christ the King Community Church aims to be deliberate about three emphases: worship, small groups, and outreach. More than that, they intentionally choose to not make anything else a priority. They encourage ministry to be initiated and fueled by individuals, but they shy away from packing the lives of their members chuck full of programs and church functions. Keeping the main thing, the main thing, this church movement has had a global impact.

With a criticism of the status quo, and an emphasis on new methods for church growth, it would be easy to write this off as another emergent church phenomenon. But upon reading the various emphases covered in Dave Browning's book, I don't think that's a fair assessment. Some valid criticisms are raised against Christians isolating themselves in a counterculture of their choosing. Meanwhile the spotlight is shone on the importance of outreach. What's more, they aim to spread not by building megachurches which attract seekers, but by focusing on small groups where people are encouraged to go out and find the lost. The worship services stress authentic, real worship, that doesn't cater to the lost, but lovingly shares the truth with them. Their honest, passionate message is reaching thousands across our nation and around the world. For that reason alone, Browning's book is worth a look.

I was able to ask Dave, the author and a founding pastor of CTK, a few questions about his book, and he was kind enough to answer them.

Q: I like your focus on being deliberately simple in how we "do church". Does your emphasis on a multi-site, and even multi-country model take away from that simplicity?

A: It has become harder for us as we have continued to expand. But that is not to say it can't be done. It just may take more work and discipline. The two words through which we try to filter our organization are "virtuous" and "empowering." Whatever we do we want it to be virtuous and empowering.

Q: Would you consider yourself a proponent of the Emergent church philosophy? Will the principles in your book help all kinds of churches, not primarily those more open to an Emergent church perspective?

A: I don't consider myself Emergent, but I can't say that I am an expert on that word either. What I have sensed about where I'm coming from, relative to other restless young leaders, is that my learning style has been action/reflection instead of reflection/action. We have gone out and done it first, and then tried to figure out how to describe it. That has been a pretty messy process, but rich in divine discovery. When the process is non-linear it sometimes defies the neat categories. In some ways, CTK is like a can on the shelf without a label on it. You have to open it up and look inside to figure out what it is. I kind of like that. I do think that there are applicable principles that can apply across the theological spectrum.

Disclaimer: This book was provided by Zondervan for review. I was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.

An expanded version of this review is available at CrossFocusedReviews.com, where you can find book excerpts, giveaways, promotional offers, audio reviews and more. ( )

If there is one thing I should take away from this book it's that I should probably keep this review short. "Less is more" is David Browning's mantra in his book Deliberate Simplicity: How the Church Does More by Doing Less.

I've not been in full-time church ministry long but I would agree that generally speaking if there is a convoluted way of doing things in the church people will find a way to do it that way. Browning's book is like a much needed machete helping to slice through the overgrowth of church ministry.

The book is so rich with illustrations and examples from every area of life that I wonder if he had to exhaust his preaching bag to get them all. His loss is our gain, for, again and again the principle is stated and verified: sometime less is more.

Although much of the book resonates with common sense, Browning's commitment to simplicity challenges that inner voice that is comfortable with traditional models and wonders "but that's the way we've always done it!" Of course no one should read the book hoping to replicate the success Browning has seen. Yet, the principles of healthy church growth are there if one is willing adjust the application to one's own setting and community culture.

Bottom line, keep it simple. An enjoyable and thought provoking read that I would recommend to and church leader interested in doing more by doing less.

[Review posted at http://returnedsheep.blogspot.com/2009/01/book-review-deliberate-simplicity-by.h... ( )