From time to time, I pull up a file from my obsolete 286 PC at the office, which is called "MY JOB." It has a few reminders on it, which help me to remember the tasks of eternal priority, which are my job as a pastor. The first entry on the list goes like this:

1. My first job is to train them. My second job is to train them, to train them; and my third job is to train them, to train them, to train them.

As peculiar as the above statements sound, they form the groundwork for my approach to ministry. It is my desire to do a work which is reproducible, something others can imitate, adapt, and do on their own.

If I can cause others to accomplish the things I train them to do, then the work of God will spread. If I can also train them to be trainers of others, then the work of the Lord will spread even further. Best of all, if I can train people, who are training other people, who in turn are training other people; then the Gospel will continue to be spread successfully even into the next generation, and beyond. Now that's what Jesus came for - to save the world!

I like to do things the easiest way. Too often, I have blazed a wilderness trail, when there was a highway which could have taken me to my destination all along. Back at the office, in the file on my computer labeled "MY JOB," there is a note about making this process of training a little easier. In an attempt to learn my lessons from the hard roads I have taken, I have added the following comments to my job description:

2. In order to make the work of the ministry infinitely reproducible, these two things must be true about everything I expect others to learn:

a) It must be simple. If it is not simple, then there will be a limited number of people who will be able to easily learn the complexity of the task.

b) It must be small. Largeness automatically creates increased complexity. Large things may also require certain skills and charisma to perform properly. Therefore, to make the work of the ministry easily performable by any person, most trained tasks must be able to be performed on a small scale.

These two truths form the backdrop for how I do things at Church on the Coast. I am persuaded that if I simply train people to do Kingdom things, and to faithfully perform small works of obedience every day, that I will have done my job well.

All around the world there are people who think like this. Many of the world's largest churches are based on home church meetings during the week. Many of the large churches which are not based on home church/cell models are transitioning to do so even now. In fact, there are entire denominations which are beginning to recognize the importance of small groups. They are learning to train people to do simple things: Like, getting friends and acquaintances together during the week, to discuss the truths of the Bible, and the person of Jesus. That's simple enough, and small enough for anybody to do. It is also reproducible. If someone can do it, they can train someone to do it.

Now that sounds like the simplicity of the Gospel to me! It's simple, it's small, it's reproducible. It's also powerful enough to take over the world.