3.7.38 8.17.2025 The Church is an Organization, Jesus is the organizer

Start:

Entice: Every one of us knows that the Church is not a service club like Lions, Moose, or the Elks. We are not a Military fraternity like VFW or the American legion. We are not a charity like March of Dimes, nor a non-profit like WADI. The Church shares some characteristics of those organizations, while its central purpose is far greater.  

Engage: Yet, most of us have said “The Church is an organism, not an organization.” Like many things we assert, this is only partly true. Thankfully we may say it even as we do “organizational things”.

New roof.

New phone system.

Planning for Fall & Winter.

Maintaining not only the facilities,

but also the human side of ministry. 

Expand: In fact claiming that we are not “An organization” can clearly be a disservice to Jesus who was clearly the one who initiated the organizing process and established its trajectory. Even though there have  been misses, failures, and mistakes Jesus called a “thing” into existence at the very beginning of His ministry. We have discussed various ways of understanding this entity.

Body

Bride

Branches

Building

Flock

Voice

It is frankly a little disingenuous and somewhat silly to say “We are not an organization” when we clearly and rightly pursue organizational behaviors and goals.

Excite: The proper questions, then are who and what? Who defines the organization and for what purpose? Without some principle of organization the Church will only ever be a great idea without any way to accomplish Jesus’ goal for it. 

Explore:

The Church is not an accident it is the organizational means for accomplishing our mission. 

Expand: Several clear organizational characteristics configure the Church for our role. 

Body of Sermon: We begin with Jesus, His own ministry and His 

1 Intent.

Intent implies that the Church is not an accident. From the very outset of His own ministry Jesus was purposefully laying the ground for His Church which continues to this day. 

Jesus discloses His intent in several ways throughout the Gospels. 

1.1 Jesus called Disciples.

Matthew 4:19 ESV

19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

Matthew 8:22 ESV

22 And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”

Matthew 9:9 ESV

9 As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.

Matthew 10:38 ESV

38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

Follow Me

1.2 Jesus founded His Church.

I will build My Church

Matthew 16:18 ESV

18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

1.3 Jesus deployed the Church

Matthew 28:18–20 ESV

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Go Make Disciples

Intent is the beginning of defining the Church as an organization. The next characteristic is 

2 Structure.

2.1 Mangage Circumstances.

Acts 6:1–4 ESV

1 Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. 2 And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. 3 Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

Titus 1:5 ESV

5 This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you—

2.2 Deploy Gifts

Romans 12:3–8 ESV

3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

2.3 Develop Qualities.

2 Peter 1:5–8 ESV

5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Finally organization helps us to define 

3 Boundaries

The organizational boundaries of the Church are not merely a matter of who is and is not a Christian. That is actually fairly clear. We also need boundaries inside the Church to maintain structure and confirm intent. Those boundaries are basic. We must understand that 

3.1 Not everyone Can do everything.

1 Corinthians 12:4–7 ESV

4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

Think of how the Church would work if we reacted to every eventuality like a 1st grade t-ball team. Chaos may be cute for kids, but not for adults with a life-changing mission.

3.2 We should be organized to put the right people in their right places.

Acts 6:2 ESV

2 And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables.

1 Peter 5:1–4 ESV

1 So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

3.3 We are message forward. 

2 Timothy 1:13 ESV

13 Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy 2:1–2 ESV

1 You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, 2 and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.

2 Timothy 2:15 ESV

15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

Shut Down

Healthy Churches are comfortable with appropriate boundaries. Healthy Churches are rightly structured. Healthy Churches are as intentional as our Master. That is not to say that healthy Churches have no problems or that we sometimes allow our traditions to outshout scripture. We are human. Jesus chose to work through redeemed humans rather than angels. Healthy Churches are not an accident.

God provides the Spiritual gifts. We have to learn to deploy them appropriately, Biblically, and consistently for the long term good of both the local and universal Church.