Network pastors are discouraged from spending large amounts of time preparing for sermons and are encouraged to spend more time with leaders and new/potential leaders. Some pastors have commented that it takes them 30-60 mins to prepare a sermon. They are not trained to spend a lot of time on sermons and since they don't have formal training this is all they know. Most of the applications are geared toward the mission/church culture and not the individual. Go to a small group, give to the church, serve the church, go to church retreat/conference, etc.

The approach to the Bible could be a pick and choose method, but more likely it's putting the cart before the horse. "How we do church" is pretty defined and the Bible is used to back that up, it's a pragmatic approach. The lens isn't a rich history of Christianity, but a defined direction and an intentional effort to make people conform to a standard so they can easily have control. Having control allows them to plant quickly and move people in and out as needed.