In the leadership of a church I was previously in they were committed to "Roberts Rules of Order" in every meeting. At first, I found it fascinating, that no action could be taken outside of the written order of the meeting made by some random leader without saying, "I make a motion that..."
I once pondered out loud what would have happened if Peter had to follow such rules. "Excuse me, but I make a motion that we listen to what the Holy Spirit has laid on our hearts right now through the tongues of fire that seem to be appearing above each of us. Does anybody second that?"
I suggested that I was going to make a motion that we do away with Roberts Rules of Order, but was curious how we were going to "second" the motion and then apply the motion if we did away with Roberts Rules of Order. The suggestion was not laughed at as I had intended.
Alan Hirsch makes a significant point that we need to keep before us in regards to our organization or institutionalism. It is a point I have often tried to put words to myself, but he does it quite well:
"I am critical if institutionalism not because I think it is a bad idea, but only because through my study of the phenomenal Jesus movements I have come to the unnerving conclusion that God's people are more potent by far when they have little of what we would recognize as church institution in their life together. For clarity, therefore, there needs to be a clear distinction between necessary organizational structure and institutionalism. As we shall see, structures are absolutely necessary for cooperative human action as well as for maintaining soe form of coherent social patterns. However, it seems that over time the increasingly impersonal structures of teh institution assume roles, responsibilities, and authority that legitimately belong to the whole people of God in their local and grassroots expressions. It is at this point that things tend to go awry."
1 comment:
Jesus would have laughed I think...
Old Bill
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