Living at the Right Size
Too Large? Too Small? Living At The Right
One of the critical realities of ministry is this: Are you small enough to be in relationship and yet, large enough to take risks?
As the Alliance has been developing its structure, we have often considered this reality. When you develop an organization, it’s important to create places where it is small enough to hold relationships. On the other hand, there have to be places where it is large enough to take risks. Somewhere between too large and too small is just right.
How has this thinking impacted who the Alliance is becoming?
Take our network concept. If the network is too small, it may not be able to support staff and also not take risks. If a network is too large, it risks devolving from relationships into rules and regulations. In the Alliance, we are committed to developing around relationships and yet building organizationally healthy structures that encourage ministry risks.
Take the Covenant Keepers approach to dispute resolution that we’re developing. We want to give a lot of credit to others for developing this concept, but it has several key components that have made it a fit for us. It is grounded in Jesus’ teaching on conflict resolution among believers. It requires believers to be in relationship. It doesn’t look to “outside” and impartial judicatories, but rather to wisdom and discernment from the Body of Christ. If we get too large, disagreement resolution can’t even start at the one to one person level. If we’re too small, we will have a hard time taking advantage of the gifts and wisdom of Christ’s body, the church.
Why haven’t we proposed a national budget meeting?
Our perception is that national budget meetings are often too large and as a result rarely talk about the actual impacts from the resources being spent. The impacts they do talk about are not informed by data. Rather, these large assemblies share anecdotal stories – just enough – to whet the appetite of the assembly for spending.
So, how about a different approach? How about an approach that considers how we are doing in relationship? Do you, as networks, trust us with the funds you are providing? Are we in enough of a relationship to share with you where the Alliance fell short as well as succeeded? When we celebrate success, will it truly be all of us testifying to God’s grace among us as partners? For that to happen, we have to be small enough for relationship and large enough to take risks.
How about your ministry? Have you considered lately where you’re small enough to be in relationship? Have you considered where you’re large enough to take a kingdom risk?