Stephen Robbins, MBA textbook author on the
subject, defines organizational behavior as "a field of study that
investigates the impact that individuals, groups, and structure have on
behavior within organizations, for the purpose of applying such knowledge
toward improving an organization's effectiveness" (2014, page 11). It is a
combined discipline of psychology, sociology, and anthropology as it relates to
groups as part of a larger group. Leaders use the principles of organizational
behavior to inject the strategy and mission of an organization into that
organization's DNA. A leader defines effectiveness by how closely the
organization operates in accordance with its mission and strategy.
An organization can go to great lengths to build a
mission and strategy but neglect to bring that mission and strategy to bear on
every task, objective, department, and member. When this happens, the tasks,
objectives, departments, and members create waste that perpetuates the
organization's ineffectiveness. Tasks become superfluous to the mission and
strategy. Objectives become shortsighted. Departments tenaciously compete with
one another due to the present leadership's inability to remain true to the
mission and strategy. Finally, members become victims of superfluous
requirements, shortsighted objectives, and other members exerting their control
in an effort to fill the perceived leadership void.
Self-coined, Modern-day Fundamentalists (the
intentionally conservative, independent Evangelical brand of Christianity) by
and large reflect a severe lack in understanding of the principles of
organizational behavior. Despite the emphatic profession to be always
adhering to the "fundamentals of the faith," they have neglected the
pure mission and strategy of the Gospel for a practical theology that allows
for Gospel rhetoric but adds subtle burdens that not only visibly discredit the
Gospel but also quench the Holy Spirit from accomplishing His purpose in
individual members of the local church.
Christ's mission to the members of His
Church is simple yet potent enough to redeem a fallen world: Love God with all
your heart, soul, and mind. Christ's strategy to His Church unfolds
the mission:
- Submit to Jesus Christ as the One to Whom has been granted power in Heaven and on Earth;
- Cast your sin under His blood and receive His righteousness;
- Love others as you would love yourself by serving them with compassion and making disciples of Jesus Christ;
- Grow together in your knowledge of and love for Jesus Christ; and,
- Be led by the Spirit, Who will never leave us or forsake us.
In secular organizations, leadership takes stock of
its members, seeks to align those members to the mission and strategy, analyzes
strengths and weaknesses of members, equips and assigns those members to appropriate
tasks that accurately fulfill the mission and strategy, all the while
recognizing that diversity among members must be encouraged (rather than
squashed) and channeled towards effectiveness (as defined by the mission and
strategy). In the Church, Christ does exactly this through the power of the
Holy Spirit according to the Word of God. This makes perfect sense, seeing as
how God created the science of organizational behavior. Scientists are only
privileged to discover it. A key to understanding organizational behavior is
the God-given need within each person to be valued and enriched by the
organization in which he/she exists. Without individuals being allowed to
embrace their diversity as an important part of the team, they are listless,
frustrated, confused, and often left feeling guilty for not fitting in.
Ephesians expresses these truths through word
pictures such as a building with many stones in their own place uniquely
crafted by the Holy Spirit. I Corinthians also compares the local church to the
human body, all parts necessary and uniquely gifted by the Holy Spirit.
Communication among Believers in a local church should exalt this diversity
both verbally and nonverbally. Using communication, verbal and nonverbal, to
squash this diversity is not only unkind but is an obstacle to the work of the
Holy Spirit in the midst of that local church. This diversity is deeply
unified, not around gifts and personalities but around the Gospel (as is
declared in Corinthians). Diversity is not only permissible, it is vital if we
desire to see the Holy Spirit equip and grow the Church.
Understandably, any local church or brand of local
churches will naturally have their own flavor as they seek to carry out
Christ's mission and strategy in their community. But each and every local
church ought to accurately reflect Christ's mission and strategy for His
Church, which is inflexibly Gospel-centered. When principles of organizational
behavior are applied to the current Fundamentalist Movement, four key
characteristics emerge to challenge both the unity and diversity of the Church.
These characteristics are certainly not limited to Fundamentalism, but they
provide a clear framework for understanding and explaining the practical
theological errors within:
These behavioral characteristics are not unique to Fundamentalism. Many individual churches and denominations will naturally exhibit one or more of these behavioral characteristics.
The warped practical theology of modern day
Fundamentalism can be primarily credited to a deviation from Christ's mission
and strategy for the Church. While there are increasingly more high-profile cases of physical, sexual, and spiritual abuse within Fundamentalism (and other evangelical brands), we will not explore the obvious moral infractions exhibited by extreme cases. Instead, my purpose is to venture deeper into the less-obvious (until exposed) philosophies within Fundamentalism that are producing hundreds and hundreds of spiritual abuse victims each year. Many of the subtleties of the behavioral
characteristics described above may not be visible from the pews but become
quite obvious as one enters the "belly of the beast." The practical
theological errors are so much more than shallow arguments over musical styles
and dress code: they are misconceptions that have been profoundly installed
into our rational cognition. Mere pulpit preaching did not do this, but the
powerful reinforcement of these practical theological errors through the
organizational behavior of modern day Fundamentalism did.
As my wife and I hosted Sneads Ferry Fellowship Church in our home in its infancy, we ministered side-by-side with a great
group of military families. The Holy Spirit miraculously kept us unified even
through challenging circumstances. I am sorrowful to recall moments where I
fell prey to my own Fundamentalist mentality and effectively quenched the Holy
Spirit at Sneads Ferry Fellowship Church. At a time when my own ambitions for
the future of our church got ahead of what God intended to do, the Holy Spirit
used Jim (a dear friend and vital member) to make quiet suggestions that, had I
listened, would have saved us from unintentionally hurting two families in the
church. Jim holds no seminary or counseling degrees from a liberal arts
university, but he was a member of the body, and the Holy Spirit used him just
as powerfully as any evangelist or pastor. At least two other scenarios burn in
my brain where the Holy Spirit offered practical wisdom through unexpected
people, and instead of listening and watching for the Spirit to work, I
reverted to endorsing some form of quenching the diversity and unity of Sneads
Ferry Fellowship Church. Thankfully, there are also many wonderful memories
where diversity and unity were upheld through the work of the Holy Spirit in
our midst. My wife and I were so blessed to have been a part of SFFC before the
church closed its doors.
No comments:
Post a Comment