In Association with Strategic Publications, Inc., a Michigan Corporation
|
FREE Spiritual-Theme Article
"The Corporate Church:
How Secular Business Thinking
Debilitates Spiritual Organizations"
by Frank J. Sherosky
Author of "Millennial World Order"
The Churches of God of the Great Reformation and those modernists that followed them did not come out of the world as much as they have believed. Beyond the 'Primacy of Peter' doctrine, one culprit has been the influence of the corporate type of structure for the church.
As Catholicism has been a king-based system of government, modern Protestantism has been corporate based. Although legality in the land has often been necessary, churches choosing socially acceptable governmental styles have always ended up with conflict. No matter how right the original intentions, the organization naturally took on a dual nature: one of corporation for physical matters; and one of church for sacerdotal matters. As time went on, it became increasingly difficult to separate the two.
Each corporate decision by the board chairman eventually extended that same power over the more sacerdotal matters. Herein existed the seed for a Gentile form of government within a church system not much different from the world system all were supposed to reject. The Millennial World Order of the coming Messiah will do just that!
How It is Today
Decisions to function independently do not necessarily negate our responsibility to support the Gospel commission, but is what has happened. As national evangelists have felt that evangelistic associations are the best vehicle to warn the world, they forgot something. They forgot the body of believers have been their to do more than just pay and pray.
Yet by their own words, corporate evangelistic structures are not the sum total of the church organism. As there have been more believers outside of charterism than even they care to admit, the point is clear.
No single congregation can do such a monumental task as reach the entirety of the world. And thus far, neither has the larger corporate evangelism. This may sound illogical since there appears to be power in organizations.
Yet, imagine another approach where each individual within each congregation functions in the commission with the gifts that Creator has already provided. In other words, each person would have a more direct involvement locally. The resultant would be true synergy within the body as the sum of the parts would be greater than any single work.
There is further difference between the scattered large numbers and the incorporated large numbers. That difference is the degree of control over the work and the money needed to do the work.
Many falsely assumed that the only voice capable was a voice from the centralized church government better known as the corporate headquarters or home office. That mentality negated the different functions that Creator has given to the scattered congregations as well as centralized ministry. That mentality will be abolished in the Millennial World Order.
Abusive Church Government
No one ever considers that an entire congregation may have a specific function within the body in addition to individuals. The First Century Church is a classic example of local people functioning in the body within their charisma.
The belief in a single-basket approach to fulfill the commission is both limiting and deceitful. Local and regional congregations can do the job just as well as they can do more than just pray and pay. They know the importance, too. In addition, local efforts don't have that heart-rending dollar to response ratio to meet as corporate ones do. Local congregations, although not immune to power struggles, don't have as much big buck corruption.
Central "home office' approach engenders big money needs and control of that money leads to one man type of pinnacles. Then the lifestyle most definitely deceives that man at the top into believing he is rewarded for being a good servant. Co-workers are then seduced into the idolatry of that one man because of his physical fruits.
There is a philosophy that limits true spiritual growth of the organism probably more than anything else. This philosophy is not limited to just corporate structures, but local and regional structures as well.
The belief that numbers connotate growth is a false measurement of spiritual growth.
Notice that the term numbers is not exclusive. It can include anything: people, buildings, money, mailing lists, doctrines, colleges, and on it goes. The only way to safeguard against this human proclivity is to ask Creator to give us His perspective and sincerely work on overcoming it.
Modern people can't distinguish the difference between that which is church and that which is evangelistic work of members within the church. Any study of the format of the synagogues of today as well as the first century Jewish church, shows that no rabbinit can have total control over both corporation and congregation.
Individual evangelists may direct their own personal efforts. That is their work although others may and should support them. However, there is a conflict of interest as they extend their self-appointed board chairmanship over more than just the evangelistic work. That is usually denied by stating that they are only one of equals.
Ministerial council is an attempt to balance the power between the physical and the sacerdotal. Making it a group of equals is highly commendable. Organizing it under the same name as the corporation is not.
Somehow the term 'corporation' is more appropriate to the physical work of an evangelistic association but not the church per se. This is evident by statements that the council is "entrusted" with the sacerdotal matters. Who did the entrusting? Who controls the funds? The corporation board controls the funds as well as the entrusting. And just guess who is chairman of that board.
This is where corporation and church gets messy with conflict of interests. If there is truly a distinct difference between the corporate structure and the global organism, then why is the ministerial council under the corporate roof? No ministerial sub-structure can guide the organism freely in that environment because corporate formats and salaries control that very freedom. Anyone who works in the world knows this full and well.
Councils may attempt to equalize the power amongst the ministry. And their may in fact be equality amongst the council members. Yet, they inherently destroy the equality that should exist amongst all the members including the evangelist and his ministerial council. They say there is no difference between ministry and the saints.
Every time the term 'laity' is used, the difference is displayed.
Even the field ministry becomes more a server of the council than the servers of the people. Once again the concept of sacerdotal priesthood under the guise of a council rules over what should be the universal priesthood of all the saints.
Return to Simplicity of Church Once Delivered
We need a return to the simplicity and the freedom that true Christianity should display. Interdependence, by it's truest meaning, is a high level maturity attribute that requires time, patience, and trust to learn. Personal and local independence must be experienced first. Then and only then can people properly function as an interdependent, international group.
Guidelines for field churches are more directive than teaching. It buys time; tries patience; and limits trust. The vast majority of people have never functioned as independent congregations ever in their lives. They need to be taught and it is the duty of those who assume the ministry to teach them. Read Ezekiel 34!
The corporate structure in the "home office' gives the wrong signals and thus hinders that learning process. What people generally see is government from the corporate top down with only the titles changed. The true corporate nature is still hidden. No wonder brethren eye chartership and power on one hand, and cringe at having Passover or a Bible study without a minister present on the other. Ministers in control enhance their freedom at the expense of everyone else.
Finally, the Churches of God would benefit by returning one significant ingredient it used to possess: the Hebraic perspective of the First Century Church. This is not a doctrine, just a perspective. This one item alone would help resolve the field church problems that plague religious organizations.
If everyone could see how the New Testament Hebrew Church originally functioned as a sect within Judaism, they would see that functions such as Apostle, Elder, Teacher were equivalent to any typical synagogue. Over 400 synagogues in Jerusalem alone functioned with full autonomy. There may have been coalitions to do certain parts of the work such as Paul and Barnabas that did not cross over into Peter's areas. Yet, Acts 15 further proves they were still able to come together as a collective body to resolve conflict in spite of their autonomy. The Spirit of the Creator was a stabilizing part of the consensus process.
Unknowingly, most churches have rejected the Hebraic outlook. In turn most churches have unknowingly accepted the Western-Greek mindset. This is reflected in the rejection of the many studies that have included any Judaic perspective.
Many ministers constantly quote the Gentile sources in history to substantiate their doctrines or the non-observance of Holy Days. This is first assuming that the Gentile view is correct. It is also assuming that the Jewish view is wrong because they think most, if not all Jews rejected their Messiah. This is emphatically not true!
History proves that so many Jews had converted that the non-Messianic Jews had to add a curse to their daily recitations and thus drove the Messianics out of their own synagogues. Furthermore, scripture states that 'Salvation is of the Jews' and not the other way around.
Most churches exhibit an anti-semitic, anti-Hebraic mentality. Surprisingly many seventh day Sabbath keepers think this way. Creator indeed loves Gentiles. Remember, too, that it is the Gentiles who are grafted. Yet, Creator never breaks His commitment to those whom He has forechosen.
The church needs to return its' Hebraic frame of reference and thus its' roots. And if the ministry won't do this, then it is the duty of each believer to personally ask the Creator for direction. The verse "come out of her my people" may refer to more than just paganism in Christianity.
That which is truth must stay; and will stay in the final analysis The Hebraic perspective merely sharpens that task. Future religion will find the Gentile version of Christ and the Hebrew Messiah named Yahushua were not the same person. One was fiction; one was real!
"Millennial World Order" ISBN 1890170046 by Frank J. Sherosky is available as a quality-bound, soft-cover edition.
Buy Now at Amazon!
|
|
|
|
Relevant Links ||
Contact Frank
The
authorfrank.com Network
owned and operated by
Strategic Publications, Inc.
P.O. Box 380811, Clinton Twp., MI 48038-0071
Contact E-Mail
©
Strategic Publications, Inc. - All Rights Reserved
|
|
|