Organized Religion

“I believe in God, I just don’t like organized religion.” This seems to be a growing view among many who consider themselves spiritual. As a result some church leaders suggest eliminating much of the structure and organization found in our churches in order to allow people to experience a more fluid relationship with God. Religion has now become the enemy. We must rid ourselves of anything that resembles it.

However, I think caution is needed when examining these issues. Some churches do have too many outdated programs that do not minister effectively. Church has become irrelevant to many people. Sometimes the organization in the church makes it difficult at times to do ministry.

But let’s not throw the proverbial baby out with the bathwater. Maybe organization and structure is not the enemy. Maybe programs are not the reason people are not satisfied with church. Maybe the problem lies with the people creating and implementing the programs and organizations. Organization is a neutral thing that is not inherently evil. What determines if an organization is good or bad is the people running it.

Furthermore, Scripture is full of people who were organized and implemented programs. In the Gospels Jesus organizes the twelve disciples for ministry and sends out seventy disciples to minister to the region.. In Acts we see the formation of the deacon ministry and Paul describes the elder as an organizational leader in 1 Timothy.

So what are we to do? Instead of starting over with how we organize our churches we simply clean them up. Here are some suggestions.

First, always have a specific goal and purpose for your program. Without purpose a church can stay busy but not actually meet any needs. Churches need to know what they want to accomplish and how to accomplish it.

Second, frequently examine your programs and organizations. If they become too complicated and inhibit ministry get rid of them. If they do not fulfill the mission of the church they need to be cut. Too often churches hold on to irrelevant or dead ministries for the sake of tradition.

Third, keep it simple and do it well. Each church has an unlimited number of good things that they can do. As a result many churches end up doing too many things poorly. It is better to say no to some things and do a few things with excellence.

Fourth, minister to real needs. What are the needs of the community? How can the church help? These are questions to ask when deciding on what ministries to initiate. The church must be careful to focus as much on the needs of the community as well as the needs of the congregation.

Finally, keep Christ as the center. Although this seems obvious how often do we become guilty of losing our ultimate reason for ministry. Our goal as the body of Christ is to bring glory and honor to the Savior. We must always remember that all ministry is for the glory of God.