Comments

This is from an article by Len Hjalmarson. Really good article. Talks about the church.

• First, significant relationships tend to decline as an organization grows in size. It becomes more and more difficult to connect personally as organizations increase in size and complexity, and thus community itself becomes a rare commodity. Yet the church is first a community, and only incidentally a congregation. When we fail to be a community, we are not truly a church.
  

I agree in part. I am beginning to wonder if the role of the 'church' is to actually be a community, or if we are to help create communities...

• Second, bureaucracy increases as organizations expand, and efficiency and management become the chief concerns.

No argument here.

• Third, large groups organize for safety, not vulnerability.

I think this one is big. I think that the larger your group gets, the less connected every one is, you find more and more hidden weakness and faux righteousness. The answer to this could be to never let the big group replace your small community. Don't ever let people think that by participating in the bigger group that they are actually in a community.

• There are two types of ministry environment. In one environment a team or teams are formed to assist leaders to develop and implement their vision (purpose). In the second environment a community is formed around a shared sense of passion (belonging). In the team environment success is understood as empowering the group to reach agreed goals. In the community environment success is understood as empowering individuals to belong and to reach their creative potential.
  

So then... why not have the team environment in place to help bring about the community environment on a smaller scale?