The church as a learning organization.

摘要

The purpose of this Ministry Focus Paper is to demonstrate the benefits of adapting secularly developed learning models and theories to The New Community Christian Church. The benefits will be realized by the development of a ministry strategy, using these disciplines, that will enable The New Community Christian Church to function as a learning organism/organization, rather than a stagnant institution.; Many organizations suffer from learning disabilities. If these teaming disabilities are not detected and corrected in secular organizations they can be fatal. These organizations die because they have adopted a "business as usual" mind set, while their world and their competitors pass them by.; I believe that same threat stands before the Church in America. I am convinced that one of the primary reasons so many churches are dead or in the process of dying is that they suffer from this organizational learning disability.; The paper will be divided into three sections. The first section will show that the early church functioned as a learning organism/organization. It will truce how the Church eventually evolved into a less flexible, high control institution. It will detail how the move toward a rigid ministry philosophy has created tension and confusion in the Church. More specifically it, will show how this tension and confusion is likely to affect the formation of a new ministry such as The New Community.; The second section details a scripture based theology of the ministry that was a foundation to the formation of The New Community. It will show how this theology of ministry set the stage for The New Community to apply the disciplines of the learning organization.; The third section sets forth the disciplines of the learning organization adapted from the secular model. It will show how these disciplines were used to formulate a ministry/leadership strategy for The New Community. This section will give tangible ways The New Community has measured their progress as a learning organization.; The goal of this paper is to develop a ministry strategy to help The New Community become a learning organization, which will ensure it's function as an organism rather than as an institution.