I am opening this blog as a way of thinking within community about how gospel communities will best be gathered in a post institutional era.
I am preparing for a new call to be a Transitional Leader of a large mainline protestant synod that is significant challenges to its identity and purpose. I come to this call from a previous (much smaller) synod where I helped lead them through 2 years of reflection and redevelopment of an organizational structure then almost 3 years of living into that structure.
Lets start with the word structure. I am uncomfortable with the word since it implies for me
institution.
noun
1.
an organization, establishment, foundation, society, or the like, devoted to the promotion of a particular cause or program, especially one of a public, educational, or charitable character: This college is the best institution of its kind.
2.
the building devoted to such work.
3.
a public or private place for the care or confinement of inmates, especially mental patients or other disabled or handicapped persons.
4.
Sociology . a well-established and structured pattern of behavior or of relationships that is accepted as a fundamental part of a culture, as marriage: the institution of the family.
5.
any established law, custom, etc.
Well I fear we may seem more like definition number 2 these days! Although number 4 does provide some helpful insight. If we are looking for anything that might be labeled institution it would be "patterns of behavior and relationships" these patterns must lead us to new ways to live in
community
I experience institution as something related to the industrial era - it has a manufacturing feel to it - we create factories and institutions to produce a product - products lead to a feeling (perhaps false) of security, power and privilege. Much of 20th century (and probably 19th - even earlier) Christian organizational life has been intimately connected with these aspirations.
That's probably why writers on this subject liken change in religious institutional as something similar to trying to turn a large freighter around and to continue the metaphor... this may be why most attempts feel like we are re-arranging the chairs on the deck of a sinking Titanic.
I don't always feel this way - I have seen some glimpses of creative hope and find them rooted in new operational metaphors such as those found in gardening. I find new visions of purpose on the horizon for new patterns of community that reshape our behavior and relationships. My work with congregations in our new process of
Dreaming into God's Future give me graet hope - I have seen this work - I have seen new patterns of community and believe is doing anew thing among us. I look forward to thinking about all of this out-loud on this blog and hope all will forgive my poor tying and trust that if it sounds like humor - it is!
