http://jonathanbrink.com/2010/01/21/missional-community-formation-%e2%80%93-part-3/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=missional-community-formation-%25e2%2580%2593-part-3 Business Development & Communications Tue, 15 May 2012 08:11:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://jonathanbrink.com/2010/01/21/missional-community-formation-%e2%80%93-part-3/#comment-2861 Cheryl Ensom Dack Sun, 21 Nov 2010 17:03:00 +0000 http://jonathanbrink.com/?p=12#comment-2861 Great. Love especially the part about the issue not being "in or out, but growing or not growing." nnI just wonder, though, if "organization" is possible without dangerous compromisation? It wouldn't be possible, in my mind, unless all the key players saw the central "story" as you do. After all, that's why there are so many denominations/sects dividing whole religions. One group is so sure that it is doing things in a way that is more pleasing to God, closer to the spirit of the religion, or in the only way that will get its followers into heaven that it separates from the larger group to form its own denomination. Is that inevitable when you're talking about spiritual/religious communities? History seems to show that's the case. In my experience, when anything to do with God/spirituality gets organized in a way that means different groups "deciding" what the new/over-arching group believes, it's the perfect storm. Pretense, trying to fit in, & denial of inner knowing in order to remain part of the group seem the inevitable result. This makes me nervous, personally. nnMaybe I'm not getting what you're proposing, though? I could be misunderstanding. Great. Love especially the part about the issue not being “in or out, but growing or not growing.” nnI just wonder, though, if “organization” is possible without dangerous compromisation? It wouldn’t be possible, in my mind, unless all the key players saw the central “story” as you do. After all, that’s why there are so many denominations/sects dividing whole religions. One group is so sure that it is doing things in a way that is more pleasing to God, closer to the spirit of the religion, or in the only way that will get its followers into heaven that it separates from the larger group to form its own denomination. Is that inevitable when you’re talking about spiritual/religious communities? History seems to show that’s the case. In my experience, when anything to do with God/spirituality gets organized in a way that means different groups “deciding” what the new/over-arching group believes, it’s the perfect storm. Pretense, trying to fit in, & denial of inner knowing in order to remain part of the group seem the inevitable result. This makes me nervous, personally. nnMaybe I’m not getting what you’re proposing, though? I could be misunderstanding.

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