But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2Corinthians 3:18
If your organization is not currently in chaos, then it certainly will be in the future. Chaos is normal for the Christian organization that is committed to the spiritual maturity of the fellowship and its individuals.
God allows, or introduces, chaos for two purposes:
- To move us off our current level of glory. Most people are best motivated by discomfort and pain.
- Once we are moving, chaos becomes the agent of our transformation – preparing us for the next level of glory. This includes working out the bad (e.g., impatience, self-sufficiency); and working in the good (e.g., faith, gentleness).
Jesus promised tribulation (John 16:33), and it comes from all quarters. This is important: Overcoming tribulation does not mean avoiding it, ignoring it, or working around it. Chaos is to be welcomed as an agent of God to mature us, and our organization.
BTW: This applies to all forms of organization – religious and secular. As a leader of Workplace Leaders, you have an opportunity to disciple others through chaos in two ways: as an example of one who handles chaos well, and as one who walks with others through their chaos.
The pain of chaos, and the transformation it produces, is unavoidable. Allowing God to make the most of a painful situation is largely a spiritual matter (surrender, humility, trust, dependence).
However, there are some wise and practical steps that can be taken. I was recently asked by a church leader how I would respond to a chaotic situation in His congregation. Here is my response.
Critical Success Factors for Navigating Chaos
- Acknowledge the situation and believe that God intends to use it. Ignoring something leads to ignorance; and who wants that? Believing is more than acknowledging. It requires a word from God that produces faith (i.e., listening prayer).
- Establish a group of mature men that will take responsibility for the spiritual health of the organization. These men are “elders” – though you might choose another term – and they must meet the Biblical qualifications for their role (1Timothy 3).
- Free up the pastors – clergy and laity; and particularly the senior pastor – to make disciples. This means setting aside or offloading tasks; not adding on more.
- Identify and activate a group of men and women (including the elders) that will commit to being discipled and transformed into disciple makers and transformation agents. Take note that these are the real church of the organization.
- Make sure every member of this group is coming into an understanding, belief in, and life lived out of the foundational truths of Scripture. Don’t be presumptuous! Hebrew 6:1 is a good place to start; though there are other foundations (e.g., the fullness of the gospel, the process of salvation).
- Seek after God’s desires for church, congregation and community.
- Learn to rest in the promise, peace, grace and faith of God; all found in Jesus Christ.
You may have recognized that there is nothing here that resembles the world’s ways for navigating chaos. Indeed, we must militantly resist doing things the world’s way; being highly suspicious of human reasoning.
Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass. Psalm 37:5
Humbly yours and forever His,
