The church has been called “an organism that has organization.” Church renewal writers have rightly been focusing on the church as organism, emphasizing its life, energy, and spirit. It is probably equally true, however, that the church is “an organization that can become an organism.”
Although God intends the church to be an organism—the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:27)—it is likewise a group of persons working together toward a common goal: an organization.
Organizations must have effective leaders or they will fail. Some important characteristics about effective leaders have been pointed out recently by management theorists. Church leaders can use these findings to help the church become the organized organism it was intended to be.
