Browning, Dave. Deliberate Simplicity: How the Church Does More by Doing Less. Zondervan, 2009. ISBN: 978-0-310-28567-0.
Meet the Author
Dave Browning is a visionary minimalist and the founder of Christ the King Community Church, International (CTK). CTK is a non-denominational, multi-location church that has been noted as one of the “fastest growing” and “most innovative” churches in America. Deliberate Simplicity is his first book. To learn more, read his blog or visit his website.
Book Basics 
Deliberate Simplicity tells the story of how a church that started in 1999 moved from one site to many and from many sites to a mini-movement with branches all across the country, elsewhere on the continent, and beyond. Dave Browning is the lead pastor, or pastorpreneur to use the phrase he coined and prefers, and primary visionary of deliberate simplicity – a new approach to church focused on keeping it simple. The simplicity is expressed theologically through the four essential beliefs:
- God and his Word are trustworthy.
- Christ is the Savior and King.
- There is hope for the future and forgiveness for the past.
- The church holds the hope of the world in its hands (p.41).
The rules are simple: less is more and more is better. Success is explained using an equation and each component of the equation becomes a chapter of the book.
|
Factor |
Symbol |
Question |
Objective |
|
Minimality |
< |
What |
Keep it simple |
|
Intentionality |
= |
Why |
Keep it missional |
|
Reality |
– |
How |
Keep it real |
|
Multility |
X |
Where |
Keep it cellular |
|
Velocity |
+ |
When |
Keep it moving |
|
Scalability |
? |
How Far |
Keep it expanding |
< = – x + ? (Deliberate Simplicity)
So What?
“Fifty years ago a church ‘map’ invariably involved a church with a steeple, a seminary-trained minister in a three-piece suit or robe, delivered in a pew-filled sanctuary, hymnals, an organist, and a sermon delivered behind a wooden pulpit. Today, if you participate in a Deliberately Simple church, you will most likely meet in a rented auditorium, sit on a stackable chair, sing along with projected lyrics and a rock band, and hear conversational preaching by a bivocational pastor in blue jeans sitting on a stool” (p.18).
Some of many possible questions leaders of traditional churches must consider:
- Do we have a clear mission and priorities? (CTK has only three priorities: worship, small groups and outreach)
- Is our congregation complex (organizationally or theologically) in ways that are unnecessary or that do more harm than good?
- Are we committed to excellence or do we believe that good enough is a better way of more deeply involving more disciples in ministry?
- Do we exist primarily for those within (nurture) or for those without (outreach)?
- Are we positioned to take appropriate risks, to say yes to disciples with ministry ideas, and to empower ministry by all ministers (all disciples)?