Small is Big by Dale and Barna

Church planters Tony and Felicity Dale and acclaimed researcher George Barna bring a big message to God’s church. How might we change the world if our Christian faith began multiplying at a rapid pace—through a way of life that is explosive and transformational? It happened once before, in the early days of the church; what will it take to bring us to that point of urgency and determination again? Small Is Big (originally published as The Rabbit and the Elephant) offers keys to 21st-century evangelism: leveraging the power of the small—and taking the gospel to where the people are and the pain is. And as God uses us to channel Jesus’ love into a hurting, desperate world, we’ll see his church grow beyond anything we could have imagined.

What would it be like have church like the apostles used to? Small groups of people meeting in their homes to pray and have fellowship. Those people going out and making more "church" groups in other homes in other cities around the world. Well, it's like the illistration they used. Rabbits. Put a girl rabbit and boy rabbit in a room for three years and when you open the door, you'll have a million rabbits hop out. But take something big, like two elephants, and in three years you'll only have one baby elephant. Small things tend to multiply faster, including churches.

This is a very thought provoking book. It actually answered some questions I'd been having like, "Why don't we take church to the world?"

"Why do I just sit on a pew Sunday after Sunday?"

"Should church be boring and non-interactive?"

"Why are so many people leaving tradional, legacy churches?"

I believe God can use anything. Legacy churches aren't bad, and simple churches aren't better. The real definition of a church is "For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst." (Matthew 18:20).

I sometimes volunteer at this ministry called Young America that turned a trailer in the middle of a trailer park a place for kids to come, eat, and have a Bible lesson. And the kids call it church. At first I thought, "Aw, that's cute." But it's so true. A church doesn't have to have a steeple or pews. It can be in a trailer, at a coffee shop, someone's house, on the street, wherever.

The authors were very clear at explaing that simple church is not for everyone. It's growing everyday, but just because simple church is gaining popularity doesn't mean you should go join one right now. You go where God leads you. I think they did a great job explaining simple church. I had never heard of it before. I knew people had Bible studies at coffee shops or at houses (my friend's family just started a church in their house), but I never knew it had a name.

If you're curious about simple church, definently check this book out. It will answer a lot of your questions. Great job, Tony and Felicity Dale, and George Barna!

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.