When Jesus called people to repent and believe in him, he used a phrase that, according to The Challenge of Jesus by N.T. Wright, was the dynamic equivalent of a modern command to "give up your own agenda and trust in me." Jesus calls us through that original band of believers to an agenda of simplicity. To pull that off, we must trust him deeply.

Simple and effective. Those two words ought to go together in the church.

The "dechurched" are those people who have given up on organized religion because it’s too complicated, too irrelevant, and not worth the time and effort of getting involved. What they are looking for is what is understandable, simple, and straightforward in the language of the common person.

Today’s Assignment: Examine your life and your ministry. Ask yourself these questions: Have I gotten too complicated for my own good? Am I being effective?