Q & R: Church history?

Here’s the Q:

I am going to focus on church history with our Sat night small group this year. I am looking for a “good” non-denominationally focused introduction to church history to use. I have Kenneth Scott Latourettes multi-volume set, but I need something simple for this group, since some are readers and will want to follow along. Any thoughts?

Here’s the R:
I’d highly recommend Diana Butler-Bass’s A People’s History of Christianity. Diana is a brilliant thinker and sparkling writer, and she not only gives a great overview of Christian history in this book – she also helps people think about the assumptions, biases, perspectives, and agendas of those who write church history. On top of that, the book is accessible for normal people, as the title suggests. I recommend all of Diana’s work – but this one sounds like it perfectly fits your needs.
If you wanted something more lengthy and detailed, I’d also recommend David Bosch’s “Transforming Mission.” It focuses on the history of Christian mission … which, I think, is a good focus.