The seventh organizational tool that can be used in a mechanical or organic order way is partnerships.
Prior posts in this series:
Is Your Church a Collaboration?
Accountability
is the buzz word du jour. These days,
any company that develops a master plan of accountability and demonstrates they
can keep everyone in line and behaving well will find a receptive hearing among
stockholders and stakeholders who nervously seek to protect their investments.
Accountability
happens by mechanical order. An
individual or group decides that accountability must be in place and then works
up a plan in an effort to “create” it.
It is a system where laws are in place and those that are disobedient
suffer the consequences put forth by those given the power to hold us
accountable. It amounts to manufacturing
relationships that hold people responsible for his or her actions in a way that
is:
- Hierarchical – one
person is obedient to another
- Abrasive – the
accountability partner practices “tough love” by being caustic and
insensitive
- Unhelpful – progress
toward an integrated life does not happen
- Harmful – the
accountability is psychologically and spiritually damaging
In
ways big and small, people get “audited.”
These means of monitoring seem to work well when they are applied to
business. But what happens when we apply
similar measures to people? We put them
under law, not grace. This is Old
Covenant thinking.
Organic
order is about grace, not law. It’s “Edit-ability,” not accountability. An editor’s function is very different than
that of the accountant. They help wipe
away errors while keeping the voice of the author. The author will submit a rough draft. The editor makes suggestions, even disagrees
at times with the author. The author
considers the editor’s suggestions, and will often make adjustments. The author and editor continue to go back and
forth until the project is complete. The
entire process is one of give-and-take collaboration lived out in the moment.
An
accountability partner focuses on sin and the individual’s cooperation with a
standard and expectations in relation to sin.
A partner in Christ focuses on being there for someone in relationship
to help them along on their journey to wholeness.
Myers, Joseph R. "Organic Community"
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