Metaphors and models

This post is from the defunct blog "Dying Church"

From Future Margins:

Think of the church as a building and it becomes building centered and architecture dependent. Think of the church as an organization, and it becomes preoccupied with organizational forms and programs. Think of the church organically, and it focuses on what makes for healthy life.

Comments

[bill]

Couldn't agree more.

[Dave]

I agree with the general spirit of the 3 paragraphs as long as we don't construct a false dichotomy between organization and organism. After all even a simple single-celled protozoa was created by God with structure and organization essential to its well-being.

[Toni]

I guess the issue is where the focus is. Actually I'd say this still misses it. All 3 are peripheral to focussing on Jesus (corny but true, at least IMO). The organic side of the church is really no more important than the organisational, although the building is a mere peripheral issue. They should all be tools to do what Jesus wants to do in us. That's it. As Dave pointed out, the organism needs structure and direction to fulfil it's purpose. It's a problem when EITHER becomes the focus.