Complexity is the enemy of multiplication!!

I trust this finds you well. Karen and I have had a bit of a break and are enjoying Tauranga. Travelling and speaking around NZ has begun for me, and our Multiplication Network (MxN) kicked off the year with a face to face meeting in January.

I continue to communicate with the VCI network in Europe and even with the pandemic still in sight, they are all doing exceptionally well. In fact, some are still planning new plants this year. I’m in contact with a group in the USA that is multiplying and also with another couple who are beginning a new network in the Netherlands.

It’s a thrill for me that 700 copies of my latest book have been sold or given. It’s been translated into French, Flemish(Belgium) and Indonesian and I’m expecting these books to be printed this year. As a side note, recently the German AOG and a movement in Italy have asked for 10 copies each of my latest book for their top executive leaders. Let’s see what God does!

It’s been a joy for me also to serve at Faith Bible College which is going through a massive transition. I count it a privilege to be involved. It seems I have been given grace at this time, for this season. I must say it is going exceptionally well. Momentum is gaining.

Click here for FBC’s latest update

Allow me now to share a few thoughts.

It was Christmas day and we were talking as a family.
My son and his wife have a home building company, and talked about when they went to visit a building company in the USA over a year ago.

The boss graciously spent a couple of days with him. Their company in comparison to others in the USA is a small company, yet they still build around1300 homes a year. Let’s put that in perspective, that’s about30 houses that you need to begin every week! And 30 houses this company must finish and hand over to owners every week!

The owner of the company kept saying to Dan,"Complexity is the enemy of growth!”

I was listening to all this and of course I related it to my world and rephrased it:
Complexity is the enemy of multiplication!!

So, so true… I was getting excited now…

It seems that Christianity & Church can be so complicated, especially in the West…so complicated in fact, that many have resorted to addition if that...the thought of planting churches OR the multiplication of churches is far too difficult and out of reach!

Yet church planting is still proven to be the best way to fulfil Matthew 28 the Great Commission that Jesus gave us. If this is so, shouldn’t we be figuring out how we can multiply churches that reproduce themselves?

And then when we do plant, we all want to be the exception, and some will be and I applaud all church plants & sizes. But it seems we all want to be mega churches or at least macro churchesof 40 to a few hundred. (Size is somewhat relevant to where one lives). Nevertheless, the question is still the same, are many or most trying to be Mega or at least Macro (whatever that is). The seminars abound, ‘how to grow your church’, ‘how to attract more people to your services’, ‘how to keep visitors’. All good, but if we are truthful, are many leaders trying to be the exception? 80% of churches worldwide have no more than 100 people in attendance; and it seems to me many leaders are busting themselves to be the exception rather than work with what is reality. Maybe there is a wee clue there. Jethro, Moses’ Father in law said to Moses, find leaders of 1000’s 100’s 50’s and 10’s. Another clue, even back then. Have we forgotten that small in the Kingdom is the new big! Matt 13:31-33

Imagine if a leader has 20 - 50 people in his church and there’s nothing wrong with that. Simply keep multiplying that 20 - 50 discipling people and sending them out. I’ll tell you a truth, the larger one gets the less one will want to plant other churches, why, all hands are needed to keep the church running.

Read about my story of change why here

Have we been led to believe that Macro and Mega churches are the only “real churches”? If so that is a very recent Western Concept. We seem to take our lead & examples from the West, I wonder if we need to take our examples from the East?

Complexity is the enemy of the multiplication of churches.

What do you think?