Simplicity

Simplicity has been a theme in my life as of late. Though the book has been out since 2011, I just recently read Simple Church by Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger. I am also reading a book by Jacko Willink and Leif Babin entitled Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy Seals Lead and Win. The title of chapter 6 in Extreme Ownership, you guessed it…Simple. All of these authors communicate the same idea, in order for people to achieve a goal, the goal must be simple and clear. Not simple in the sense that it is easy, but simple in the sense that you know exactly what you seeking to achieve.

I find it interesting that in all of my studies I have yet to find a genuine leadership principle that did not come straight from the Bible. The author may not know that it came from the Bible, but if you know your scriptures you will recognize it as a biblical principle. When it comes to clear and simple goals, Jesus was right on point. He left the church with one clear goal, MAKE DISCIPLES (Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:8). That’s it. He did not leave us long and convoluted list to accomplish, one clear simple goal. Now I will grant you that it is a multifaceted goal, but it is clear and direct none the less.

Northside Baptist Church must constantly remind herself of this goal. We must be careful not to get off track. We must make sure that all we do is in some way moving us toward the bigger goal of making disciples. If we allow ourselves to get distracted by lesser things, we will never be effective at the main thing. Let us work together to accomplish this mission. Let’s move past our personal preferences and agendas that might keep us from becoming all God has called us to be. If we will, I am sure of this; it will be one exciting and adventurous journey.

Honored to be your pastor,

Darrell