We live in a world where ease of use is a dominant factor in how businesses operate. Products and services are constantly being refined to remove friction and make interaction as effortless as possible.

I recently experienced this firsthand when I ordered a new router on Amazon late at night, only to have it delivered to my doorstep by 6 AM the next morning—all ordered in a few taps on my phone. Similarly, I can get a key made at a kiosk without speaking to a person, or I can pre-order my coffee and have it ready for pickup without waiting in line.

Contrast that with my experience over Christmas when I tried to buy a simple gift card at a small store. What should have taken a minute turned into a 15-minute ordeal involving sign-ups, extra questions, and unnecessary steps. If I hadn’t really needed the gift card, I would have walked away.

This contrast between ease and friction in the consumer world has a direct application to ministry: Many churches, schools, and faith-based nonprofits unintentionally create barriers that make it difficult for new people to engage.

The Unintended Barriers of Ministry

For those who have been part of a congregation or a Christian organization for years, navigating ministry life is second nature. They understand how things work, what’s expected, and how to engage. But for someone new, unnecessary complexity can become a significant obstacle.

In today’s world, people are accustomed to streamlined, intuitive interactions. When they step into a ministry setting that is difficult to understand, hard to navigate, or unnecessarily complicated, they have to decide whether it’s worth the effort. Unfortunately, many decide it’s not.

This is not about turning ministry into a consumer-driven experience. It’s about ensuring that how we communicate and engage with people aligns with their natural expectations for clarity and ease of use. We should be focused on both our existing audience and potential audience—removing barriers without compromising our mission.

Four Ways to Simplify Ministry Engagement

1. Simplify Your Content and Messaging

More information isn’t always better. While we often want to provide exhaustive details, most people don’t have the time or capacity to process everything upfront. Overloading them with information leads to disengagement.

• If your content is 1,000 words, try cutting it to 500.
• If an event title is 15 words, make it five.
• If a video is five minutes, make it one.

Jesus himself modeled clarity and simplicity in his teaching. He often used parables—concise, memorable stories—to communicate profound truths (Luke 15:3-7, Matthew 13:31-32). People could grasp the message quickly, even if they weren’t scholars.

2. Give People Fewer Options

Too many choices create decision paralysis. Studies in psychology (such as the famous Jam Study by Sheena Iyengar) show that when people are presented with too many options, they are less likely to make a decision at all.

Instead of:

• 12 ways to get involved, offer 3.
• Multiple sign-up forms, provide one clear call to action.

Jesus did this effectively when he called his disciples. He didn’t present them with a long list of possibilities—he simply said, “Follow me” (Matthew 4:19), making their next step clear.

3. Streamline Your Processes

Sometimes, joining a ministry can feel like applying for a mortgage—forms, meetings, approvals, and multiple steps. The more complicated the process, the more likely people are to give up.

Try reducing the steps in any given process to a maximum of five. (Five is easy to remember—we have five fingers on one hand!) If fewer steps work, even better.

The early church in Acts 2:42-47 grew rapidly because their engagement model was simple: teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, and prayer. People could easily understand how to participate, and as a result, the movement spread quickly.

4. Learn from People’s Behaviors

• Observe where people naturally take shortcuts. If people keep bypassing certain steps in a process, it might indicate those steps aren’t necessary.
• Ask for feedback. A quick survey, a focus group, or casual conversations can reveal where people experience friction. Often, the barriers are things we never considered.

Jesus was a master of understanding human behavior. When speaking with the woman at the well (John 4), he didn’t follow a rigid script. Instead, he engaged her in a way that made sense to her context—using something familiar (water) to explain something profound (living water).

Why This Matters for Ministry

While the why of ministry never changes—glorifying God, making disciples, and serving people—the how should be flexible and adaptable.

1 Corinthians 9:22 reminds us:
“I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.”

Paul understood that accessibility mattered. He adjusted his methods to remove unnecessary obstacles so that more people could hear the gospel.

For ministries today, this means:

• Making it easy for newcomers to understand and engage.
• Reducing friction in processes that don’t require complexity.
• Communicating clearly and concisely to meet people where they are.

When we simplify, we don’t dilute our message—we remove unnecessary distractions so people can focus on what truly matters.

Final Thoughts

As ministries, we must ask ourselves:

• Are we unintentionally making it difficult for people to connect?
• Have we created complexity where simplicity would be more effective?
• Are there unnecessary barriers that are keeping people from engaging with our mission?

The good news is that small adjustments can lead to significant improvements. By prioritizing clarity, simplicity, and accessibility, we create an environment where more people can encounter Jesus without unnecessary friction.

In a world that values ease and efficiency, we have an opportunity to ensure that engaging with the gospel is not hindered by complexity—but instead, made as accessible as possible for all who seek it.