Getting Organized

I have just finished reading one of this years most talked about and quoted Christian books, To Change the World, by James Davison Hunter. I will probably review this book at some point on my other blog, but at the moment am rather mulling over what I think of it. Parts of it are brilliant, while in other places it is very disappointing. Much mulling to be done... But in the meantime I may post a couple of thoughts here that reading it has provoked in me.

Here is the first one:

It is common in the church circles within which I move to hear people say, "The church is not an organization, but an organism." This is a snappy way of emphasizing the dynamic, organic, body-life dimension of the church, and as such is a helpful thing to say. However, to be healthy, an organism needs organization. A disordered organism is in fact a mutant. Organization is necessary from the smallest level upwards. Without cellular organization a body cannot function, and the same is true of the church.

Organization and 'being organic' should not be seen as in contrast with one another. In the church it is proper organization - leadership, church discipline, regularity of meeting together - that ensures the body can respond to the call of God and leading of the Spirit as it should.

We all know that churches can be over-managed. The dangers of 'corporate church' are very real. But that should not make us fearful of organization. I am a fan of keeping church simple, minimizing the number of programs that are run and keeping the main focus on the main thing, but organization is still necessary.

To try and dispense with all organization is to generate a mutant, and mutants are neither healthy nor long-lived.