The three Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 9:17, Mark 2:22 and Luke 5:37-38) describe Jesus teaching about the necessity of putting new wine into new wineskins. The issues had to do with a vibrant and vital ingredient that could not be placed in older containers. Church structures must always find ways to adapt to a vibrant and vital Gospel. This Gospel is new every day in that it is a living reality with the work of a loving God who gave Himself for His creation. Yet, it is old in that it is the timeless story of a loving God who gave Himself for His creation. Yes, I did say the same thing!
So how do congregations adapt themselves to this "new wine"? First, is a historical return to the an understanding of the mission of God (missio dei) that is being recaptured in missional terminology. Missional is not an update of "every member a minister/missionary". It has to do with a congregation or ministry that becomes agile enough to "retool to meet a new market".
Agile Competitors and Virtual Organizations: Strategies for Enriching the Customer by Steven L Goldman, is a writing out of the corporate world from which congregations and ministries can learn much. The business world and the church face many of the same problems: rapid change, global competition (religious pluralism has come to our neighborhoods), economic uncertainties, ethnic population changes, and a "postmodern" mindset that does not value "brand loyalty".
Four Dimensions of Agile Competition (I have added parenthesis to apply to the church who is more interested in mission than maintenance).
1. Enriching the customer. "An agile company (missional church) is one that is perceived by its customers (unchurched community) as enriching them in a significant way, not only itself. The 'products' (services and ministries) of an agile company are perceived by its customers to be solutions to their individual problems (meaning, purpose and direction). The packages of goods and services that customers buy are only the means for implementing the solutions, for solutions are what customers are actually paying for -- and they are increasingly aware of this. This situation creates new marketing strategies for management to consider. At the same time, it demands a reconceptualization of what the company's products really are". (how do we describe what we are "selling" to the unchurched world? Services and programs for our own edification or an encounter with Jesus Christ!)
2. Coperating to enhance competitiveness. "Cooperation -- internally and with other companies (churches and other "friends of good will" whether sacred or secular, governmental or corporate) -- is an agile competitor's operational strategy of the first choice. The end is bringing agile products to market as rapidly and as cost-effectively as possible. One strategy for doing this is utilizing existing resources regardless of where they are located and who owns them (especially with needs based ministries, e.g. literacy, food, clothing, substance abuse treatment, housing, etc). Cross-functional teams (pastoral caregivers, publicity, literacy ministry, prison ministry, benevolence ministry all working together), empowerment (emphasis on releasing for service and not just gathering for stimulation), reengineering of business processes (everything is done to enhance the mission/vision of the church), virtual companies (web based outreach efforts), and partnerships even with direct competitors (churches down the street) are all means employed to leverage resources through cooperation." (an emphasis on Kingdom principals allows cooperation and collaboration for Kingdom growth first.)
3. Organizing to master change and uncertainty. "An agile company (missional church) is organized in a way that allows it to thrive on change and uncertainty (yes, we've never done it that way before and we may have to rewrite our bylaws and budget!). Its structure is flexible enough to allow rapid reconfiguration of human and physical resources (positions, buildings and budgets do not limit mission). There is no single 'right' structure for an agile company, and no single 'right' size (small is ok too). Personnel who are motivated and knowledgeable enough to convert change and uncertainty into new opportunities for company growth are empowered to do so, routinely and rapidly (passion is appreciated and risk is enabled - see Matthew 16:25).
4. Leveraging the impact of people and information. "In an agile company (missional church), management (church staff/elders, deacons) nurtures an entrepreneurial company culture that leverages the impact of people and information on operations (God speaks to and uses anyone or everyone). It does this by distributing authority, by providing the resources personnel need, by reinforcing a climate of mutual responsibility for joint success, and by rewarding innovation (whether it fails or succeeds - often, results are in God's hands). People -- what they know, the skills they possess, the initiative they display -- and the information are the differentiators between companies (churches) in an agile competitive environment (the Church really is people, not buildings and programs). Because knowlege-based products (you shall know the Truth and the Truth shall set you free - John 8:32) offer the greatest potential for individualization (salvation and completeness in Christ), continuous work force education and training (discipleship) are integral to agile company operations (church programs). They constitute an investment in future prosperity rather than a cost to be assigned to current overhead expenses." (See first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness...)
What think ye?