A dog is an animal. An oak tree is a plant. I don't wait for it to rain for my dog to get water. I don't put bowls of dog food out at the trunk of the white oak tree in my back yard to nourish it. Why? Because animals process and utilize water and food differently than plants. If I treat an animal or plant like its a species from a different kingdom, I could cause it major harm.
This concept follows for human groups. People function in groups in different ways. There are countless types of people groups, but some that are particularly applicable to the church: businesses, organizations (public, non-profit, etc.), movements, and organisms. We usually talk about the church as an organization, because in its institutionalized form, that is what it most resembles. In the last 20 years, strategists have talked about the church in terms of business models. Larger churches take on many of the characteristics of a business in their staff, facility, and programmatic functions.
It is not as frequent that we talk about the church as a movement, though at times of its most effective and transformative work, this is exactly what it becomes. Think of the early church movement, the monastic movement, the Methodist movement, or the Civil rights movement. We hardly ever talk about the church as an organism. This is interesting, because when we look at the church in the bible, it appears to function more like an organism than anything else. an organism appears to be a singular entity, not a group. But it is a group in so many ways.
Every organism is made up of multiple cells, multiple body parts, and multiple organs. An organism is the furthest thing from a singular being - it is the most stunning example of a group of individuals bound together to accomplish a singular purpose. In the New Testament, the Church is called the Body of Christ - one body with many parts. It functions not as an organization or business, but as a movement of people - or better put - a movement of organisms. Each church is like a network of cells and parts that make up a body at work and these many bodies work in widespread concert with one another to accomplish movement-level transformation.
We have got to stop talking about the church in terms of organizational and business models. More importantly, we have to stop TREATING the church like it is an organization or business. The church is (as God designed it) something other than what the western world has made organized religion to be over the last millennium. We cannot feed dog food to a tree. And we cannot expect a thriving church by pumping it full of the things that make organizations and businesses run.
What do we feed it Ray? How do we frame our conversatins in such a way that we do not revert to business models?
ReplyDeleteHey Jen! Thanks for entertaining this discussion! If the church is an organism described in scripture as depending on mutual affection, love, vertical and horizontal connections of authenticity and intimacy, than we have to feed it things that will foster such nourishment. The primary resource that the church should be given is relationships. Relationships with God and relationships with one another. Prayer is the food that nurtures relationship with God - we don't do nearly enough of this in the church. We should be praying far more often than we meet in committeees. Consistent, authentic, and intimate relationships are fostered by gatherings that are small (but not too small) which aim at developing friendships, mutual suport and love.
ReplyDeleteSo I would say that we currently supplement the church with things that should actually be staples and we feed it in bulk things that should be supplemental. Prayer, authentic fellowship aimed at deepened relationships, missional activity in the community should be STAPELS of the church. Corporate, production/based worship, meetings, and short-term programs and missional activity will not feed the church in a way that helps it to grow.
That was actually the theme of the church systems class I just took. Prof. Ptomey believes that worship of God should be the way we start every meeting, every committee, everything we do together.
DeleteThat being said there is a business mentality that runs through almost everyone. Can we be efficient? What will this cost? What metrics will we accomplish if we do x/y/z? Truly some of these questions are important and should be asked, but how to balance those against the mission of the church? It is daunting to try to speak a language that does not diminish another's point of view. How to build up the body?
Good thoughts Ray.