Claim. Hendricks (drawing on Peter Drucker and Donald Miller) prescribes four concrete steps to flatten a denominational-pattern church into a populist form: (1) intentionally decentralize power, (2) put young leaders in spin-off ministries with target-market-appropriate names, (3) empower existing clergy to turn control over to members via gifts-based ministry, (4) restructure leadership preparation into local-church-embedded apprenticeship.
Elaboration. Per flatten-the-organization-and-focus-on-spiritual-experience.
Step 1 — Decentralize. “Those with power give it up, and those without power take it on.” Wise leadership inculcates leadership skills in members and gently releases control.
Step 2 — Young leaders, spin-off names. Allow experimental ministries with names comprehensible to the youthful target market: Willow Creek (from Dutch Reformed), Saddleback (never branded as Southern Baptist), the Journey Church (Southern Baptist in Manhattan but unbranded), “the River” (Vineyard in lower Manhattan). UC examples Hendricks notes: Two Rivers VIP, iUnificationist, uMove, the Hub, the jUnCtion, Lovin’ Life Ministries.
Step 3 — Gifts-based ministry. Miller’s specific recommendations: abolish 80% of committee meetings; help members discover their own spiritual gifts and apply them in the church setting; empower pastoral care, evangelism, and cross-generational bonding in small groups led and organized by laypeople. “Within the core principles and goals of the faith, let the members themselves shape the local church.”
Step 4 — Local-embedded seminary. Theological education should happen in local churches, not isolated from them. Seminaries should include in-house apprenticeships, intensive workshops, and always be asking “how would this work in my church?”
See also. populist-church