As a leader, you’re confronted with a real-life tension that exists between an organism and an organization.

As a church planter and a leader, I recognize that according to the biblical description, a church is an organism.  It’s made up of people, ideas, and relationships.  But it’s also an organization.  As The Gathering grows and more people become involved, it’s amazing to see the organization filled with happy, excited people.  This past weekend it was exciting to see people unload our new trailer and truck, and take out our new equipment, set up the kids’ classes.  It’s beginning to be a big production.

So which is it? Is a church an organism, or an organization?  Here is my response:  A church is an organism whose health depends on its organization.  Yeah, back again to that case of both/and, not either/or.

So how do you know the difference?  Ho do you know how to keep the balance between an organism and an organization?  The answer is simply this: understand that these two concepts and ideas that are needed for any organization to be healthy have very different functions.

As an organism, the church or business of any size thrives on vision and leadership.  This is the organic part.  The very reason why you read thousands of different definitions of vision and leadership is because it’s a very complex operation.  Leaders bring vision, ideas, and energy to any idea or mission.  And when people come around it and support it voluntarily, motivated by love and passion, that’s an organism.

An organization, then, is an organism that recognizes it needs management and maintenance.  This allows the process to function in a healthy way.  It allows people to come together in relationship and to provide support for the growth that’s happening.  Let me stress and say that again.   Organization does not, cannot, has never, and will never create growth.  Organization supports it.  Organism creates growth; organization supports growth.  And when they work together, hand-in-hand in concert, really amazing things happen.

So take an assessment.  Would you say that your church or business is an organism that has great organization?  Or is it an organism that lacks organization?  Usually that’s true in churches, particularly in growing churches.  It’s like controlled chaos.

Sit down with your leadership team and talk about the balance between organism that needs vision and leadership, and organization that needs management and maintenance.