The Complexity of Simplicity

The trend toward simpler living is taxing the church.

Bob and Linda Jones and their three kids once lived in an upscale neighborhood with two cars, large-screen tv, health club membership, two mortgages, and lots of credit card debt. They felt empty, stressed out. Then they read Your Money or Your Life. They paid off their credit cards and traded in both cars for one with a lower car payment. Bob cut his work hours, and Linda quit working outside the home. She is now home-schooling their children.

It's the simplicity trend. It's huge. It may well affect how you approach ministry.

Downshifting for control

The Joneses are part of a growing group of middle-class Americans voluntarily choosing a simpler life. Gerald Celente, director of the Trends Research Institute, predicts that by the year 2000, about 15 percent of baby boomers will embrace this lifestyle. He anticipates "a revolution of anti-materialism"; simplicity will be incorporated into all elements of society. ...