Authentic Family

How does God view the Church? Frank Viola maintains that He sees the Church as family. Not corporation. And in this family, 3 attributes apply.

1. The Members Take Care of One Another.

2. The Members Spend Time Together.

3. The Family is Community Not Corporation.

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In my conversations (many), reading (lots), education (degrees in Organizational Management and Christian Counseling), and life experience (challenging), I've discovered that the larger our churches grow, the more likely that they will morph into corporations. Sometimes rather quickly, but more often slowly but surely.

Authentic, biblical family and CEO-run business organizations? Like oil and water. They just don't mix. If you shake oil and water together, at first they swirl around and look like they are one. But before long, they have separated. They are seldom compatible. Organizational needs in the church, usually measured in numbers, seem to end up superceding the biblical mandates to love one another, be kind to one another, encourage one another, spur one another on toward love and good deeds, etc.

So what do churches need to do, or better yet, who do they need to BE in order to be a biblical family - and yet develop and maintain needed organizational structure?

> Are you part of an authentic family?

> What are your relationships like?

> How's that impacting you?

> Are you becoming more like Christ as a result of your church experience?

> What needs to change? Within you? Within your church?

> How can you be a catalyst for positive, biblical, authentic community where you are?

Continuing to ponder how growing churches can balance loving one another well and needed organizational structure ~
Linda