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Toward a Redeemed Sociology:A Theological Model ForCorporate Development

Introducing The 3C Systems Thinking Model For Organizational

Development

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Our Objective

Present the 3C Model as a derived biblical paradigm for understanding the nature and furthering the

development of the corporate social structure of the Body of Christ based on the Old Covenant, Old Testament representation of the Creation of Man in the Imago Dei and the New Covenant,

New Testament presentation of the Economy of the Trinitarian Godhead in oneness and unity unto

the successful resolution of the Eternal Plan of Redemption.

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A Theological Model For Corporate Being Applied To Organized Social

Development

• Theological Model - Based on the Old Covenant revelation that man was created in the image of God and the New Covenant teaching of Jesus Christ revealing the working relationship (economy) of the Godhead; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

• Corporate Being - The Imago Dei in relation to Creation and Redemption by a Triune God; Is there a redemptive sociology revealed?

• Organized Social Development - The Will, Love, and Power of God, skillfully applied by leaders, to the development of redeemed community to the glory of God.

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John 17:20-23I'm praying not only for them But also for those

who will believe in me Because of them and their witness about me. The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind-- Just as you, Father, are in me and I in you, So they

might be one heart and mind with us. Then the world might believe that you, in fact, sent me. The same glory you gave me, I gave them, So they'll be as unified and together as we are--

I in them and you in me. Then they'll be mature in this oneness, And give the godless world evidence That you've sent me and loved

them In the same way you've loved me.

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Part One: Theology

• Creation by the Trinity• Imago Dei based on God as Trinity• New Covenant Economy of the Godhead• Submissive Role Relationships in the Trinity• Essence of Trinity Interests:

– Cause– Community– Corporate

• Essence of Trinity Cooperation: Submission

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Creation by the Trinity

• Yahweh - Father Creator (Ge.1:1)• Jesus - Son of Yahweh Creator (John 1:1ff)• Holy Spirit - Spirit of Elohim Creator (Gen. 1:2)• Elohim - Ge. 1:6 “Let us make man in our image,

in our likeness…”• Yahweh Elohim - Ge. 2:7 “And the Lord (I AM)

God formed man from the dust of the Earth and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life…”

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Imago Dei Based on God as Trinity

• Inherent Traits– To be created in the image of the Father is to have an affinity towards

God’s Revealed Will being done. His glory is the first Cause. (Knowing) He is therefore the ultimate Truth as knowledge. (Ro.1:18ff)

– To be created in the image of the Son is to have an affinity for the revealed essence of God’s nature which is Love. (Doing) His glory is found in the Community of the saints motivated by and acting on the Love of the Father in and through Christ. (John 14-17)

– To be created in the image of the Holy Spirit is to have an affinity for God’s Power. (Being) His glory is found in the successful functioning of the Corporate whole conforming to the nature of Christ in accordance with the will of the Father and the command of Christ. (John 14-17)

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Imago Dei Based on God as Trinity

• Observed Traits– According to Creation each human person has an affinity for each divine

person of the Godhead.– Each person is created to express that affinity as a distinctive of one’s

created personality.– Through the Sin nature resulting from the Fall this aspect of creation is

subjected to frustration, isolated from God, self, and others, becoming an order of individual prejudice along with all other forms of dysfunction and division beginning with the willful rejection of God in every way and completely.

– The resulting disconnect is expressed in both personal and social division through asymmetrical relationships.

– Through Sin, Cause, Community, Corporate are isolated and competitive. The ability to work together is marred by the Fall.

– Through Redemption, Cause, Community, Corporate are made alive again to their proper created orientation to the Godhead; The First Social Order.

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New Covenant Economy of the Godhead

• The Trinity: One God in Three Persons. Each Person fully God in essence without confusion or diminishment of their Divine attributes.

• The Gospel of Jesus Christ gives a unique insight into the inner working of the Trinity.

• The three Persons of the Godhead are the Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit.

• Each Person of the Godhead is known by many other names and titles in relation to their particular ministry role in Providence and the Plan of Redemption.

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New Covenant Economy of the Godhead

• Over the course of Jesus’ presentation of the Godhead we observe a pattern as to the role relationship each Divine Person has to the other in the divine works of Providence and Redemption. The pattern emerges as follows:– Father - (Yahweh) His Will Be Done and this to His Glory– Son - (Yah-Shua) His Work is the only work that satisfies the

Father to the end that His Will be Done.– Holy Spirit - (Kodesh ha Ruach) His Power is the applied basis

upon which the Father and the Son have determined to accomplish the same.

– Each Person of the Godhead glorifies the other in the context of Providence and Redemption.

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Submissive Role Relationships in the Trinity

• The Will of the Father is completely in the hands of Jesus to accomplish. To the extent that all authority is given to Jesus, the Father is utterly dependent on the obedience of the Son.

• The Son Incarnate is in complete dependence on the Father to reveal His will to Him and to raise Him from the dead. Furthermore, He is depends on the Holy Spirit to lead, while on earth, according to the Father will.

• The Holy Spirit shall proceed from the Father and the Son to administer all the the Father and the Son determines. He will have no other basis for acting on His own.

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Submissive Role Relationships in the Trinity

• The Plan of Redemption is the Strategic endgame.

– The Father shall be glorified by His will being accomplished. This is the first Cause of all of history.

– The outcome of which shall be evidenced by the Community of Saints, the product of Jesus’ work.

– The Church, throughout history, shall have been sustained and developed into one Corporate whole, worshipping the Father before His throne, by the inner progressive working of the Holy Spirit.

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Key Points of Convergence for the Imago Dei and Trinity in

RedemptionTrinity in Creation: Man in the image of GodTrinity in The Fall: Man separated from GodTrinity in Redemption: Man is One with GodTrinity in Sanctification: God and Man are In Trinity Interests: Cause,Community,CorporateTrinity Cooperation: Mutual SubmissionTrinity in Church: Restoration of Order of Creation

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Redemption of the Imago Dei

Divine Person

Covenant Role

Focus Aspect Effect

Father To Will Cause Truth inKnowing

Oneness & Unity of

MindSon To Obey Community Love in

DoingOneness &

Unity of Heart

Holy Spirit ToAdminister

Corporate Power inBeing

Oneness & Unity of

Body

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Review: Imago Dei Based on God as Trinity

• Inherent Traits– To be created in the image of the Father is to have an

affinity towards God’s Will being done. His glory is the first Cause. (Knowing) He is therefore the ultimate Truth as knowledge.

– To be created in the image of the Son is to have an affinity for the revealed essence of God’s nature which is Love. (Doing) His glory is found in the Community of the saints.

– To be created in the image of the Holy Spirit is to have an affinity for God’s Power. (Being) His glory is found in the successful functioning of the Corporate whole.

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Review: Imago Dei Based on God as Trinity

• Observed Traits– Each mature follower of Christ expresses an affinity for each

divine person of the Godhead.– Each follower of Christ expresses that affinity first in Christ and

later in a different order of orientation which may be assumed as a distinctive of one’s measure of grace and church socialization.

– Each follower of Christ is alive again to all things pertaining to knowing God individually and socially.

– The resulting reconnect is expressed in both personal and social oneness and unity through maturing symmetrical relationships.

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Practical Theological Opportunity

• We tend to think about the Trinity in one dimension rather than three dimensions at a time.

• The key to practically applying what we know of the Trinity is to do so through interpersonal relationships working as a team.

• Therefore we need to:– Discover each person’s point of identification with the Triune

Godhead as a function of personality. (Measure of Grace?)– Discover each team’s primary point of identification with the

Godhead as a group profile.– Determine how we can begin to build into our organization’s

spiritual experience of the Triune God a more symmetrical and holistic corporate experience and structure as needed.

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Part Two: Application Models

• Oneness/Unity of the Spirit- Symmetrical Model• Spiritual Dysfunction - Asymmetrical Cause• Spiritual Dysfunction - Asymmetrical Community• Spiritual Dysfunction - Asymmetrical Corporate• Possible Developmental Outcomes• Individual/Team Learning Model

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Community tends to identify with Christ and Persons. Tends

to think in terms like Hospitality, Passion, Honor,

Principle, Loyalty, Relationships, the Individual and Doing! The needs of the

individual outweigh the needs of the Church. Concerned for the one lost sheep. Identifies with phrases like “Matters of

the Heart & No man is an island.” Community knows no

strangers, needs to be with others, action oriented. Feels burden for active Fellowship.

Emphasis on Great commission evangelism and missions.

Community keeps the Church outreach focused.

(Sacrifice of the Son)

Cause tends to identify more with the Father and His eternal will.

Tends to think in terms of Vision, Truth, Quality, Purity, Holiness,

Teaching & Knowledge. Identifies with phrases like “The

meaning behind it, God’s intended Purpose”!

God’s Will outweighs the will of

the Church and individual. Feels burdened to see

the church mature.Emphasis on bible study,

theology and doctrineCause keeps the Church focused.

(Will of the Father)

Unity of the Spirit

Corporate tends to identify more with the Holy Spirit and the administration/leading of the Body. Tends to think in terms like Power, Organization, Systems, Projects, Quantity, and Efficiency. May be objectively analytical or

subjectively intuitive and likes defined structure whether formal or informal and generally is willing to operate in the background. Likes to view things in the form of Assets, Spiritual Gifts, Liabilities or Hindrances, Equity and

Edification within a spiritual power structure. The needs of the Church outweigh the needs of the individual. Feels burden for Unity of the Spirit.

Corporate keeps the Church oriented or organized. (Administration of the Spirit)

Community

Corporate

Cause

Common Law Copyright by The Praetorian, Monroe County, Indiana, 2000

Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let Us create man in our image,…”

3C Symmetrical

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When Community is improperly dominated by Cause, relationships are often driven by fear of

judgment and pressure to conform to the culture of

knowledge over compassion.

Spiritual heroes are valued not so much as lovers but

as thinkers. Thus the culture of the Church may become cold or uncaring

since the community focus celebrates those who know the Bible best occupy the

top of the social heap.

When Cause is overemphasized the application of Truth may lack obvious

felt Love and may dominate and intimidate immature believers.

The Church may experience an excessive or exacting doctrinal emphasis. May become rigid,

unmovable, or absolute. Leadership may be perceived as autocratic.

Education is the key ministry as knowledge of the Truth is the ultimate

expressed ideal. Believers who identify with Freedom and Love may leave

frustrated, feeling misunderstood and repressed.

The very thing that Cause desires most, individual spiritual growth and

maturity, is not accomplished because it fails to grasp that the Truth must be

learned not just as information but also it is demonstrated and experienced in

loving relationships.

Spiritual Dysfunction

When Corporate is improperly dominated by Cause, grass roots expression, and spontaneity are stifled and ineffective. Church growth is limited or unimportant. Activities are centered around the ‘most prominent members’ which really means the most educated in a highly controlled environment. Often structures are rooted in history where the group traces the establishment of Truth back to a founding movement or person or both.

Cause

3C Asymmetrical

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When Community is over-emphasized as an end in itself and dominates the felt culture of the church, evangelism (often by socialization) may be strong

but the Church remains spiritually immature and undereducated. The

Gospel is over-simplified and there is a lack of intentional discipleship.

Church relationships are important but usually only as they relate to achieving

tasks. For those in need spiritual counsel is weak and nearly everyone defaults to the Pastor as counselor or crisis manager. Under the veneer of happiness the church may turn into a

spiritual intensive care unit for dysfunctional believers. Church life is

event driven. The new convert is elevated to the most celebrated

affirmation of Church life. Public baptism is a cause of celebration

beyond all other functions. Community’s sincere desire for church wide fellowship is not accomplished as Cause and Corporate are overwhelmed

by false or shallow intimacy.

When Cause is dominated by Community, discipleship and deeper study are stifled. Quality and vision are sacrificed. Teaching is narrow in scope. Deep questions are best not asked. Faith is over-simplified to bumper-sticker axiomatic expressions. Doctrine is a thing of the past. Cause is frustrated because after salvation, persons will move elsewhere for developing true spiritual

maturity.

Spiritual Dysfunction

When Corporate is dominated by Community, mature Body Life is ignored in favor of superficial sentimentality. Corporate perceives the unbalanced development of a biblical ‘one another’ and ‘each other’ culture as being self-absorbed and shallow. Corporate struggles for lack of purpose and direction. Organization is weak and the church just continues along often losing the people she gains. (Usually the loss occurs when the participants become burned out or when they go elsewhere seeking deeper experience.)

Community

3C Asymmetrical

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When Community is dominated by Corporate, it feels a lack of

love and freedom. Relationships are conformist, shallow or non-existent. Loyalty is weak and deep relational commitment is

generally missing. Both men and women struggle for a sense of

belonging. They feel processed or even used by the controllers.

Unhealthy competition may emerge as members are recruited

by “bureaucrats” to serve in selective ministries within the

church. Sub ministry growth is a sure way to assert greater

command the budget and other resources including people,

money, time, and space.

When Cause is dominated by the practical idealism of Corporate it is

saddened by the perceived shallowness and superficiality of

the church. There may be a general lack of commitment due to felt disenfranchisement. Vision is obscured even though there is

image of busy activity and task focused leadership. Cause struggles

for direction. Cause may suspect that any form of faith that does not engage the mind is “contrary to the Gospel”! Church growth may be perceived as an accomplishment based selling out to consumerist

religiosity where numeric success is the key standard of measure.

Spiritual Dysfunction

Corporate may be perceived as Unrestrained Spiritual Freedom (in yielding to the leadership of the Holy Spirit) or as Professionally Controlled Management (where the pastoral staff stifles individual initiative) relationships become secondary to the development of the worship service. Activities and programming incorporate individual Spiritual Gifts, like evangelism. The systems themselves grow the Church. Corporate has little need for “intimate” Community. Cause is perceived as “abstract and impractical”. Corporate will become authoritarian, even demanding compliance and conformity to its perceived “Will of God”. It can be oppressive as it feels the need to control all aspects of the Church. . Corporate sincere desire for unity is not accomplished because it doesn’t realize that its overarching control suppresses shared ownership.

Corporate

Common Law Copyright by The Praetorian, Monroe County, Indiana, 2000

3C Asymmetrical

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Possible Developmental Outcomes

• Profile A

• Profile B

• Profile C

• Profile D

• Profile E

24Team Learning Senge, Peter: Fifth Discipline

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Part Three : Application Exercises

• Identify Your Personal Profile• Identify Your Team Members Profile• Identify Your Organization Profile• Identify Your 3C Model Based

Organizational Change Requirements• Decision Making and Follow Up Action

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Part FourLearning Organization

• Deep Learning System• Five Disciplines• Deep Learning System Lexicon• Summary• Resources and Support

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Five Disciplines for Learning Organizations

• Systems Thinking• Personal Mastery• Mental Models

• Building Shared Vision• Team Learning

Senge, Peter: Fifth Discipline

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DLS Lexicon– Personal Mastery – Learning to expand our personal capacity to

create the results we most desire, and creating an organizational environment which encourages all its members to develop themselves toward the goals and purposes they choose.

– Mental Models – Reflecting upon, continually clarifying, and improving our internal pictures of the world, and seeing how they shape our actions and decisions.

– Shared Vision - Building a sense of commitment in a group, by developing shared images of the future we seek to create, and the principles and guiding practices by which we hope to get there.

Senge, Peter: Fifth Discipline

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DLS Lexicon– Team Learning – Transforming conversational and collective

thinking skills, so that groups of people can reliably develop intelligence and ability greater than the sum of individual member’s talents.

– Systems Thinking – A way of thinking about, and a language for describing and understanding, the forces and interrelationships that shape the behavior of systems. The discipline helps us see how to change systems more effectively, and to act more in tune with the larger processes of the natural and spiritual world.

– Aspiration – The capacity of individuals, teams, and larger organizations to orient themselves toward what they truly care about, and to change because they want to, not just because they need to.

Senge, Peter: Fifth Discipline

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DLS Lexicon

– Reflection and Conversation – The capacity to reflect on deep assumptions and patterns of behavior, both individually and collectively.

– Conceptualization – The capacity to see larger systems and forces at play and to construct public, testable ways of expressing these views.

– Strategic Results – Knowing how and when to measure important results. Focusing on the interrelated issues when assessing results in a learning process, namely, patience and quantification.

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Summary• We have learned a theological model for human

organization and dialogue based on the power of Redemption as seen through the economy of the Trinitarian Godhead and our ability to identify with each Divine Person.

• The 3C Model Provides an opportunity for a fresh start at personal and organizational spiritual development no matter where the starting point.

• The 3C Model offers a simple discipline for application to the profound and difficult mastery of mutual submission in Christ.