Two interesting experiences recently - both of which have to do with the way people organize themselves for shared purposes.
The first is the service club of which I am a part. In addition to local meetings and activities there exists a "district" and "national/global" structure. To be a part of the whole organization you have to participate in the overall mission of the organization. That includes monetary support and leadership on various tiers. When people talk about the national organization and what we are about they don't blink. Of course you have to have structure to make it work.
The second is the storytelling organization in which I participate. I'm more a consumer than any kind of a leader. I attend the workshops I find helpful. But I'm not angling to do much more than that. But when it comes to the organization and its goals they have a national presence with regional/local connections. They have a network of leaders, an office and staff. However challenging the funding no one disputes that it is important to organize for their mission, locally and beyond local.
Then there is the church. My particular congregation is a part of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). We come out of the "free church" tradition with a congregational polity. That means that unlike our connectional brothers and sisters among the Presbyterians, Methodists and Episcopalians we choose our own pastors, own our own property and determine the scope and direction of our mission. We are part of the Disciples tradition and larger community and have relative autonomy as we do that. That includes our covenantal relationships in our own region and in the general ministries of the church. In this regard we resemble Baptists, Unitarian Universalists and the United Church of Christ.
In our history we moved from "movement" toward a more organized "church" with a regional and national presence. The scope of our mission became world-wide. Together we weigh in on issues of the day and wrestle with those. The ministry belongs to the whole church. We have ecumenical relationships with other traditions and bodies of Christians. So it has evolved.
Though the way we do church and the form it takes is always dynamic and changing, we do nevertheless have a form that shared life takes. For this reason it seems silly that one would automatically dismiss the church for ... being organized. What do you want instead, a disorganized church?
There not a peep when either my service club or storytelling network speak of organizing structures beyond the local group. And yet when it comes to church organization and structure, that is viewed warily. Is that the result of longstanding institutional arrogance or abuse of power? Worn out bureaucracy? Perceived irrelevancy?
I am presently at the General Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) meeting in Indianapolis. Local, regional and national/global manifestations are everywhere present. It is important to come together, understand that the whole is greater than the part, remember just how diverse we are, and experience a mission in which the sum is greater than any of the parts.
What form will life together take if we are really one body of Christ? We may never really know and it is always changing. But there will be a form. I pray that our understanding of church is never limited to local congregation. That's much too small. On the other hand I also pray that the dynamism of the local congregation is never lost as our primary focal point of Christian community.
Balance, that's the ticket!
