Participation and Measurement
Chapters 3 and 4 of Organic Community offer the tools of participation and measurement.
In chapter 3, Myers encourages community to be centered on individuality. People want to be recognized and wish to serve as individuals, with certain gifts, but for the good of the group. We ought to honour uniqueness. The health of individuals is to be sought before the health of the organization. Myers believes that people respond to being asked to participate based on who they are.
First, I must confess that I am tempted to justify and defend my own actions. This, of course, is not critical engagement. So what I write, I try to write critically, but not in defense of myself. I can appreciate Myers' desire to see people as individuals. I especially appreciated his approach of hiring people: Hire the right people; don't invent the right position. (That was a paraphrase.) However, the original story he shares--that he and his wife left a church after 6 months because they were not specifically asked to volunteer in a place--raises a red flag that perhaps we have a different approach. I believe this passive approach (Who will ask me to help? And how will they ask? And why did they ask?) creates too much space between pastors and laity. Why the heck does the leader have to ask? Jesus has already asked. Why in the world would I wait for a pastor to ask me to serve before I start offering my gifts? before I start ministering?
In chapter 4, Myers encourages new forms of measurement. "[Measurement] is not neutral. The measurement is the message" (75). The category he offers, as one might expect, is narrative. He writes, "Story is the measurement of life" (79).
I can appreciate Myers' approach in this chapter. Increasing the amount of stories people share is essential to creating and sustaining community. In fact, this is one of the reasons I am so passionate about good preaching: It should either elicit or provide stories which people can share. Of course, I am tempted to like this chapter when it is something I already try to do! So, maybe I need to be critical when I agree, as well. That, of course, is much harder to do.
In chapter 3, Myers encourages community to be centered on individuality. People want to be recognized and wish to serve as individuals, with certain gifts, but for the good of the group. We ought to honour uniqueness. The health of individuals is to be sought before the health of the organization. Myers believes that people respond to being asked to participate based on who they are.
First, I must confess that I am tempted to justify and defend my own actions. This, of course, is not critical engagement. So what I write, I try to write critically, but not in defense of myself. I can appreciate Myers' desire to see people as individuals. I especially appreciated his approach of hiring people: Hire the right people; don't invent the right position. (That was a paraphrase.) However, the original story he shares--that he and his wife left a church after 6 months because they were not specifically asked to volunteer in a place--raises a red flag that perhaps we have a different approach. I believe this passive approach (Who will ask me to help? And how will they ask? And why did they ask?) creates too much space between pastors and laity. Why the heck does the leader have to ask? Jesus has already asked. Why in the world would I wait for a pastor to ask me to serve before I start offering my gifts? before I start ministering?
In chapter 4, Myers encourages new forms of measurement. "[Measurement] is not neutral. The measurement is the message" (75). The category he offers, as one might expect, is narrative. He writes, "Story is the measurement of life" (79).
I can appreciate Myers' approach in this chapter. Increasing the amount of stories people share is essential to creating and sustaining community. In fact, this is one of the reasons I am so passionate about good preaching: It should either elicit or provide stories which people can share. Of course, I am tempted to like this chapter when it is something I already try to do! So, maybe I need to be critical when I agree, as well. That, of course, is much harder to do.
posted by Aaron Perry at
10:30 AM
2 Comments:
I read Myers first book that you mentioned, I did not read this one. I found his first book had some good ideas but I did not always know how to apply what he was discussing with us.
As a small groups pastor I am always interested in how to apply ideas about community. Any thoughts about how to implament (or encouage, spur on, sponcor etc...) some of his ideas?
Hi Rob,
Boy, that's a tough question. I think he would refer you to many other how-to books and say, "Study your people and give something a short-term shot." There really are no "how-to" ideas because I think the biggest thing that I would have to implement from this book so far is to give ownership to the people. (This is one of the reasons that I didn't like aspects of chapter 3--it put too much onus on the leadership to be pampering people.)
I often try to preach as though people, by the power and guidance of the Spirit, can apply the word to their own lives. I think this book would like me to develop community in a similar way. This means being a communitied person myself, first.
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