Ch 1 – Organized Religion

Congregations are funny creatures: they exist to change lives, yet they also have budgets, bylaws, and boiler problems. Chapter 1 names that tension and insists it’s normal, not a sign of failure. I describe organized religion as a living paradox in which deep spiritual work happens inside imperfect human institutions. Instead of dreaming of a church without structure, we can learn to use structure to support our highest purposes. When leaders see governance as a spiritual practice—stewarding power, money, and attention in light of the Holy—the daily grind of meetings and policies begins to look like part of the ministry, not a distraction from it.