Organization

Skye Jethani writes, in Immeasurable, about good versus bad complexity in ministry. He illustrates it this way:

Bad complexity is like a Rube Goldberg machine. Those are the massive, jerry-rigged contraptions that fill an entire room with moving ropes, ramps, bowling balls, and buckets. One small motion, like a marble rolling or a domino tipping, begins a long and complicated chain reaction. A Rube Goldberg machine is a huge, inflexible apparatus that accomplishes one simple task. It’s not very useful, but it can be immensely entertaining.

Good complexity, in contrast, is like a Swiss Army knife—an elegant, nimble instrument that can accomplish an impressive number of tasks. No one would say Swiss Army knives are simple. They are intricate, with many precisely engineered parts, but this complexity of design paradoxically makes them adaptable and easy to use.

Many churches are marked by bad complexity. They are like Rube Goldberg machines—not very effective, but very entertaining to watch. They construct massive systems of control that are far larger than what is required for the task, and they are dangerously fragile. If one element of the system or environment changes, the weakness of the whole church or organization is exposed.

Possible Preaching Angle:

This could be used as illustration of the difference between strong and weak, healthy and unhealthy, complex yet meaningful church organizations and ministries.

When the lines and wait times at the local drive-through coronavirus vaccine clinic became unbearable, local officials sought out the experts. Mount Pleasant Mayor Will Haynie said, "When I heard about it, I called Jerry and asked if he would come help us out.” The man in question was Jerry Walkowiak, manager of the local Chick-Fil-A restaurant, a chain known for serving large numbers of drive-through orders.

Mayor Haynie explained how things got sorted out. "After he looked it over, he said, 'There's your problem right there. It's backed up because you have one person checking people in.' Then he showed us how to do it right." Walkowiak mobilized a bunch of volunteers from the local Rotary Club, and before long, the hour-long wait had been trimmed to a more manageable fifteen minutes.

Walkowiak is only the latest in a long trend of professionals from adjacent fields being asked to help facilitate large-scale vaccination efforts. The Associated Press reported that health officials in Massachusetts have tapped Dave McGillivray, director of the Boston Marathon, to run mass vaccinations at Gillette Stadium and Fenway Park.

Possible Preaching Angle:

When God gives you a talent, you never know how that talent might be used to bless the community around you. Don’t look down on your abilities just because they’re not explicitly meant for use inside the church; rather, look for every opportunity to bless your community as you do your work as unto the Lord.