KEEP IT SIMPLE
One of the strange results of all
human activity is that it rarely re-
mains simple. A small group will
band together for a common cause
or objective — then, sooner or la-
ter. they will become a club, an
association. or a society complete
with officers, bylaws, payrolls,
committees and scheduled meet- / \
ings, many of which are productive
of no more good than just having them.
Small communities end up as cities — tribes, as nations.
with complex governments requiring and spending vast
sums for structural maintenance. The amazing fact is that
they never seem to decentralize — just eventually collapse
from their unwieldiness.
Even the church is not immune. People of like beliefs and
common objectives, seeking to expand their activities, even-
tually end up in the maze of an organizational structure. Too
often this becomes so complicated that its leaders barely
recognize the desires and needs of the constituents. isolated
as they are by the policies and machinery of the structure.
It must be recognized, however, that organization is es-
sential to the accomplishment of any major undertaking.
Factories, public works, hospitals, etc., are dependent on
some base of support. And worldwide missionary programs
would never be successful without a firm structure to guide
and support them.
But the side effects so often seen in organization must be a
matter of some concern. for the dangers of overstructuring
are always present and the time could come when the struc-