"Irreducible Complexity"

There is a concept in science called "irreducible complexity." It is used in cellular biochemistry to describe proteins and other structures that cannot be broken down into simpler units and still functions the way they were designed.

A good example of this principal is a mousetrap. If you remove any piece of the trap it will no longer work at all. Without the platform all you have is a jumble of parts. If you take away the trigger or catch you can't attract a mouse or set off the trap at all. You can't remove even one part on the trap and still have a functioning mousetrap.

A church has the same kind of irreducible complexity. Saint Paul acknowledges this in his description of the church as the Body of Christ. No portion of the body can be removed without seriously damaging the bodies ability to function.

The Natural Church Development process that we are using to assess our congregation is based on thes principle. It measures different 8 areas of church life that, like the parts of a mousetrap, have been identified as necessary for a healthy congregation.

Thes 8 areas are:

1. Empowering Leadership
2. Gift Oriented Ministry
3. Passionate Spirituality
4. Functional Structures
5. Inspiring Worship
6. Holistic Small Groups
7. Need Oriented Evangelism
8. Loving Relationships

If our congregation as a whole is weak in any one of these areas, the whole congregation suffers. It is important to recognize though that this does not mean that any one person needs to be strong in all of these areas in order to be a healthy, mature Christian. It does however mean that individualy we need to respect the gifts and talents of others and help make a place for them in the life of our community of Christ.

In a truncated quote, Paul says it this way in
1 Corinthians 12:13-22;
In the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body -- Jews or Greeks, slaves or free -- and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot would say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear would say, "Because I am not and eye, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body. God arranged the members in the body, each one of them as he chose. There are many members, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you," nor again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you." On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable.

The 8 elements of the NCD assessment can be identified with the gifts that Paul identifies as the gifts given to individuals in the body of Christ. What we are doing as a congregation with the NCD process is identifying and strengthening the individual parts body of Christ. If you are a gifted leader you need to lead. If you are a visionary you need to help us plan for our future. If you are drawn to a deeper spiritual life you need to share your insights and prayer with the whole congregation so all of us can draw closer to God through you. No one is insignificant. Without all of the gifts our congregaton cannot truly funtion the way God intended us to.

The natural Church Development teams have discovered that if you strengthen your weakest area, all of the other areas will improve as well. This is consistent with the principle of irreducible complexity that Paul explains in his writing on the Body of Christ. The area that has been identified for us to focus on is Passionate Spirituality. It brings up visions of holy rollers thrashing in the aisles of our church and guest preachers laying hands on people shouting "Be Healed!: Lutheran spirituality is nothing like this, and we are after all Lutheran. Martin Luther felt that the deepest spirituality a person could have was to identify the calling or gift that God has given them and to practice that calling for the benefit of the church and the community around us. This concept of Calling or Vocation is at the very heart of the Lutheran Reformation. It is a call to engage in life to the best of our abilities, serving God and others with the gifts God has given you. For Lutherans the most important part of "Passionate Spirituality" is the passion. We need to engage, to connect our lives to the Life God. We do this by doing what we do best and being passionate about our God and our church. Everything else flows out of this. Passionate Spirituality is obedience to the Great Commandment. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. The only way you can do this is to truly be the person God created you to be.

This understanding is not, however, an excuse not to pray or read the Scriptures. No one can have a relationship with someone else unless they spend time with them. The greatest thing we can do, for ourselves and our church is to deepen our individual relationship with God. Not every one is spiritually gifted, but everyone needs to be passionate about his or her relationship with God. We are the beloved of God, saved by God's grace so that we can live a new life, a Resurrection Life, in community with our brothers and sisters in Christ and the presence of God. This is something to be passionate about. It is something worth sharing with others. It is the Good News that Jesus gave his life to bring us.

As we begin the implementation phase of the process, let's commit together to hold our church up on prayer and take steps to grow in our relationship with God as Disciples of Christ. We can do this in very simple ways. Take time for God each day. Even if it is only a few minutes. Start reading the Bible; it is the primary way we get to know God. Talk to God (pray), and listen and watch for God's answers. Finally take joy in your life and your church; they are gifts from God that are priceless. God shows us every day now much we are loved; passionate Spirituality is nothing more than showing God how much we love him in return.

Pastor Jim Bliss