When we view love for God and people as our primary purpose, based on what Jesus identified as the Greatest Commandments, love even governs organization within the Church. It’s the cause, or reason, we provide organization, as well as the effect, or outcome.
Love as the Reason We Organize
We might be tempted to say that we organize to put structure and order into what we do. However, if truly in tune with our purpose, we must go deeper, stating that we provide organization to enhance our potential to express love for God and people.
Without love, structure and order merely provide a skeleton. Love breathes life and sinew into what we do, enabling us to move about purposefully. Without love, we are nothing (1 Cor. 13:2) and we gain nothing (1 Cor. 13:3).
Is love the motivating and guiding factor behind all you do? Why have you put this or that structure in place?
Reminder: Do everything in love. (1 Cor. 16:14)
Love as the Effect of Organization
We might be tempted to state the outcome of organization as helping us function better. However, if we organize in accordance with our purpose to love God and others, the end result of organization then goes beyond functioning better to loving better. Notice where 2 Peter 1:6-7 takes our efforts:
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. (2 Pet. 1:6-7)
Our efforts end up at love. Organization in the church isn’t just about providing a structure to express our faith and goodness or to accumulate knowledge. It’s not even to provide order, as happens with self-control, or to sustain us, the result of perseverance. Nor is it to help us live a devout life to God (godliness). Rather it leads to not only mutual affection but love in its deepest sense — agape, God’s love.
Hebrews 10:24 instructs us to “consider how we may spur one another on to love and good deeds.” That undoubtedly will take church leaders beyond mere words to organizing or putting structures in place to spur one another on. Consequently, as leaders we must ask how to bring about such an effect. — What can we do to increase the potential for such expressions of love?
Please Note: The content on this page is included in the Steering the Church Toward God’s Purposes Leadership Guide.
For More on God’s Purposes, Go To: Church Purpose Resources
All Posts about Organization:
- Organization Following God’s Purposes?
- The Cause and Effect Factor of Organization
- The Need for Fluidity in Organization
- Living Organism Needs Organization
- Organizational Structures Help or Hinder?
- Organization Because of Freedom in Christ?
- Organization Enhancing Ministry Not Entangling It?
- Organizational Skills of Jesus
- Why Organizational Skills When We Have God?
- Spiritually Gifted to Organize
- Praying About How to Organize to Best Accomplish Goals
- Rely on the Spirit, Not Organizational Efforts
- The Gospel, the Organized Eternal Plan of God
- Organizational Efforts with a Life-Giving Effect
- The Effects of Life-Giving Organizational Efforts
- The Right Reason for Organization
- Aligning Organizational Efforts with Scripture
- Organization Reliant on the Name of the Lord
- Grace Helps Keep Organization in Check
- Leader’s Role as a Guide in Organizational Efforts
- Perspective and Power Needed for Organization