As a physician, I am amazed daily at the human body. From the cellular to the macroscopic level, we are the most intricate living organisms on Earth. Finely tuned, our bodies are maintained at a core temperature of 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, a blood pH of 7.4, and a resting heart rate between 60 and 100 beats per minute. I could, of course, give other examples, but the point is clear: a lot of organization is required to keep an organism like the human body running efficiently.
The Church likewise is an organism. Paul, in fact, refers to it as the Body of Christ, and he goes on to say that we are the individual parts, the arms and legs, of the Church. As with the human body, a lot of organization is required to keep this organism running efficiently.
Even in the first century, we see an organized Church. There are church positions: pastors, bishops, elders, and deacons. There are church meetings: councils, conferences, and worship events. Within worship itself, there is singing, preaching, offering, and personal testimony. Admittedly, the organization is elementary by today's standards, but there is no doubt that it is present.
In its most primitive days, therefore, the Church relied on a simple level of organization to exist. Such organization is more complex today, consisting of multiple layers of hierarchy, ritual, and specialization within denominations and among local congregations. Some people argue that the organization is excessive. They claim that it is too cumbersome and actually hinders the mission of the Church. They recommend a return to a more simplified, less regulated structure. Others take the opposite position, advocating more sophistication and oversight as the answer to today's problems.
What, then, is the answer? Should churches today become more or less organized? Are we too complex or not complex enough? My reply is that the question is the wrong one. The issue is not complex versus simple. Our focus instead should be this: whether or not we are doing our best to keep the organism healthy. Our question should be: "Do our organized efforts maintain the vital signs of the Church within the parameters necessary for its spiritual health?"
To help you understand what I mean, let's return to the human body. Imagine that someone starts an organization whose purpose is to make the human body operate at a core temperature of 102 degrees Fahrenheit, a blood pH of 8.0, and a resting heart rate of 25 beats per minute. Imagine that millions of dollars are spent and countless hours of discussions take place seeking to make this happen. Such an effort, no matter how simple or complex the planning, would be doomed to failure. Why? Because the human body is designed by God to run at preset vital signs. To divert the body away from these essential parameters is to plunge that body into a state of disease.
In the same way, God has given the Church, the Body of Christ, some preset essential vital signs. In the preceding weeks, we have focused on eleven of these essentials: baptism, belief, Bible study, charity, communion, discipleship, evangelism, fellowship, prayer, repentance, and worship. As we now examine Church organization, the twelfth essential, we need to focus most on the purpose of our organized efforts. Any organized church structure or activity that alters or distorts the essentials is doomed to failure, simply because God designed the Body of Christ to run on these essentials. To steer a congregation away from these vital parameters is to lead it into a state of spiritual disease and disrepair.
If a church fails to plan, it plans to fail. This old saying is indeed true. But we must be aware that bad planning is a recipe for failure as well. Today's churches must ensure that all their organized plans serve to bring the essentials into focus. If not, the end result will be organized chaos and nothing more.
The Church likewise is an organism. Paul, in fact, refers to it as the Body of Christ, and he goes on to say that we are the individual parts, the arms and legs, of the Church. As with the human body, a lot of organization is required to keep this organism running efficiently.
Even in the first century, we see an organized Church. There are church positions: pastors, bishops, elders, and deacons. There are church meetings: councils, conferences, and worship events. Within worship itself, there is singing, preaching, offering, and personal testimony. Admittedly, the organization is elementary by today's standards, but there is no doubt that it is present.
In its most primitive days, therefore, the Church relied on a simple level of organization to exist. Such organization is more complex today, consisting of multiple layers of hierarchy, ritual, and specialization within denominations and among local congregations. Some people argue that the organization is excessive. They claim that it is too cumbersome and actually hinders the mission of the Church. They recommend a return to a more simplified, less regulated structure. Others take the opposite position, advocating more sophistication and oversight as the answer to today's problems.
What, then, is the answer? Should churches today become more or less organized? Are we too complex or not complex enough? My reply is that the question is the wrong one. The issue is not complex versus simple. Our focus instead should be this: whether or not we are doing our best to keep the organism healthy. Our question should be: "Do our organized efforts maintain the vital signs of the Church within the parameters necessary for its spiritual health?"
To help you understand what I mean, let's return to the human body. Imagine that someone starts an organization whose purpose is to make the human body operate at a core temperature of 102 degrees Fahrenheit, a blood pH of 8.0, and a resting heart rate of 25 beats per minute. Imagine that millions of dollars are spent and countless hours of discussions take place seeking to make this happen. Such an effort, no matter how simple or complex the planning, would be doomed to failure. Why? Because the human body is designed by God to run at preset vital signs. To divert the body away from these essential parameters is to plunge that body into a state of disease.
In the same way, God has given the Church, the Body of Christ, some preset essential vital signs. In the preceding weeks, we have focused on eleven of these essentials: baptism, belief, Bible study, charity, communion, discipleship, evangelism, fellowship, prayer, repentance, and worship. As we now examine Church organization, the twelfth essential, we need to focus most on the purpose of our organized efforts. Any organized church structure or activity that alters or distorts the essentials is doomed to failure, simply because God designed the Body of Christ to run on these essentials. To steer a congregation away from these vital parameters is to lead it into a state of spiritual disease and disrepair.
If a church fails to plan, it plans to fail. This old saying is indeed true. But we must be aware that bad planning is a recipe for failure as well. Today's churches must ensure that all their organized plans serve to bring the essentials into focus. If not, the end result will be organized chaos and nothing more.
NEXT WEEK
Part 17 - Solid, Liquid, or Gas?
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