I <3 Organized Religion
John Edgerton
September 13, 2022
You should also look for able people among the assembly, the kind who fear God, are trustworthy, and hate dishonest gain; set such people up as captains over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.
~ Exodus 18:21-22
Organized religion has a problem. Well, we have a lot of problems, but I’m talking about the term itself. Organized religion is synonymous with dead formalism, sexism, and a host of other dangerous "–isms."
If that's all organized religion means, perhaps the world would be better off if the whole edifice of organized religion collapsed. But let me testify to what I have seen “organized religion” do. I’ve seen hundreds gather to march for justice on short notice. I’ve seen the sick and the suffering receive caring visits and support. I’ve seen the whole church pivot time and again in the midst of COVID to find ways to be faithful in the midst of immense change.
Being organized is powerful. Being organized changes the world. If we are serious about being co-creators of Beloved Community alongside God, that means being organized.
The term organized religion has never been less popular. But the power of organizing people of faith has never been more critical. Perhaps these times we are living are the reason why God has carried our institution this far, to care for one another and change the world—from the inside out.
Prayer: God Who made the world and organized it, organize us.
