March 15, 2010 issue
Structure can be spiritual
By Robert YutzyPage:
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In my experience, it isn’t hard to find people who are excited about the church’s ministry and want to share their talents.
Yutzy
These people embody the reckless abandon of the early church. The believers were so committed to continuing Jesus’ ministry that they “[sold] their possessions and goods [and] gave to anyone as he had need” (Acts 2:45).
Many churches have asked how they might claim the vision and ministry that would make them an “Acts 2 church.” But they’re frustrated by structures that limit their movement.
It can make one wonder if there is anything spiritual about structure.
As exciting as the events captured in the Acts 2 community are, Luke’s account gives evidence that freedom has limitations too.
The church had a “good problem”: Money and goods they held in common were pouring in. They needed to get these resources to those who needed them the most, particularly the widows.
The community had been trying to make sure the food got to all the widows daily. But the widows of a certain ethnicity were being missed on the delivery routes. Their families and friends began to complain. Addressing these complaints was taking the apostles away from their primary work of preaching the gospel.
The believers were becoming aware that their community’s chaotic function was compromising their freedom to be a unified body. They needed a structure to guide them.
Organizational charts, constitutions and bylaws do not draw large crowds at business meetings. But the way a community organizes is critical. A structure’s purpose is to help the community accomplish its goals by assigning roles and allocating power.
The challenge the early church faced was to deliver resources to those in need. They needed an overseer. So they created role of deacon, with the power to oversee food distribution.
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