Organization

Organization

MY QUESTION for GOD

Wouldn’t the church be better off without boards and committees and formal organization?

A MOMENT with GOD

The leaders of the people were living in Jerusalem, the holy city. A tenth of the people from the other towns of Judah and Benjamin were chosen by sacred lots to live there, too, while the rest stayed where they were. And the people commended everyone who volunteered to resettle in Jerusalem. Here is a list of the names of the provincial officials who came to live in Jerusalem.

Nehemiah 11:1-3

I left you on the island of Crete so you could complete our work there and appoint elders in each town as I instructed you.

Titus 1:5

As the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food. So the Twelve called a meeting of all the believers. They said, “We apostles should spend our time teaching the word of God, not running a food program. And so, brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will give them this responsibility. Then we apostles can spend our time in prayer and teaching the word.”

Acts 6:1-4

In the Nehemiah passage above, the exiled Jews wanted to be a unified and effective people of God, not just a mob of random refugees. This involved careful organization. Every organization needs some kind of structure to be effective. This has been true of the church from its earliest days. Sometimes church boards or committees become ponderous or paralyzing. When this happens, it may be necessary to restructure creatively. But churches need some form of organization if they are going to mobilize Christians to advance Christ’s kingdom and experience a breakthrough in God’s work among them. Getting things done requires effective organization.

DIVINE PROMISE

WHEN YOU MEET TOGETHER, ONE WILL SING, ANOTHER WILL TEACH, ANOTHER WILL TELL SOME SPECIAL REVELATION GOD HAS GIVEN, ONE WILL SPEAK IN TONGUES, AND ANOTHER WILL INTERPRET WHAT IS SAID. BUT EVERYTHING THAT IS DONE MUST STRENGTHEN ALL OF YOU. . . . FOR GOD IS NOT A GOD OF DISORDER BUT OF PEACE, AS IN ALL THE MEETINGS OF GOD’S HOLY PEOPLE.

1 Corinthians 14:26, 33