A group of us got together the other night and we were talking about the church needing to be organic but at the same time there being a need for a certain amount of structure within this living organism that we call the church.  The question was, where and how this was meant to be implemented? While we were talking I recalled a lecture that I heard when I was at varsity.  The subject was Slime Moulds.

A slime mould is a living mass of indefinable cells that, overnight, will grow into a slimy mass of living tissue covering the ground and whatever else it lands on.  Surely a good analogy of the church?  Within the slime mould, even with it's indefinable cells there is a certain amount of structure, such as the nuclei (containing the DNA) which essentially run the cells, proteins and other bits and pieces that help in the running of the "slime mould community".  I really thought that I had stumbled across a model on how to implement structure within an organic church.  I went home and thought a bit more on the subject, trying to parallel the two concepts…then God intervened…

"Jesus told them still another parable: The Kingdom of heaven is like this. A woman takes some yeast and mixes it with a bushel of flour until the whole batch of dough rises.' " (Mat 13:33)  "Got it Lord - like YEAST, not slime mould".  But what's the difference?  They are both essentially fungi, both near the bottom of the list of developed organisms…but there are some vital differences which make a huge impact as to what the church will look like if modeled on them.

Lets think of yeast in the context it is used by Jesus - in the making of bread.  Firstly, it is a vital ingredient in bread, but invisible and one doesn't even think of it when eating bread.  Whereas slime mould, is very visible, and can even be described as impressive.  Secondly, yeast works it's way through the bread, cell-by-cell, individual-by-individual, whereas slime mould, as mentioned already, is one big mass of indefinable cells.  Thirdly, each of these individual yeast cells has it's own structure.  A cell wall, nucleus with DNA, and other essential bits and pieces needed for the running of that yeast cell.  At the same time it is producing the necessary things needed in the bread making process.  Slime mould has structure, but it is chaotic inside there!

So, paralleling yeast with how church should look - firstly, church should work it's way into the community and culture that it is based in without a lot of fuss and bright lights, and at the same time make a huge difference.  Secondly, church should be small, well run units who all are in unity, working together towards a common goal.  Thirdly, they need to have structure (what!!!).  Yup, churches need the structure of a nucleus from where the knowledge to run the whole thing is held, that being the nucleus of elders.  Apart from holding the knowledge of how to run things, the nucleus in a yeast cell doesn't do much else.  The rest of the "bits and pieces" do the work.  Some more important than others, but all needed for smooth running of the yeast cell.  In the Old Testament, the elders sat at the gates - watching and passing on knowledge - while the rest of the city carried on with the running of the city.

So that's what we should be.  What shouldn't we be?  Slime moulds are "flashy".  Everyone knows they are there, and as mentioned already, they are impressive.  This is because they are so big.  And they get big quickly!  But they don't last.  They also don't produce something that is good to eat.  No smell, taste, sight of any sort of "fruit" of its labor - if you get what I mean?  Too many churches today are big and impressive - for a time.  That's not to say they haven't got a purpose - people find something special about slime moulds and begin to wonder about how and why it is there.  It is, however, difficult to find an individual in a slime mould, enough said!

Right, so lets get back to this church-like-yeast concept.  How do we "spread through the bread" effectively?  Well, get the working of the individual small churches correct, according to the bible.  Then work together!  Simple.

One other very important lesson in the whole "spreading" thing is to be learnt from how yeasts multiply.  Most other living, biological cells divide by literally splitting everything down the middle and then growing to full size again before the same procedure is followed again.  Yeasts do things slightly differently.  They "bud".  This means that when a yeast cell is ready to multiply, it forms a small bud, which then separates from the "mother cell" and grows to form a new "adult" yeast cell.  Do I need to explain…I don't think so!

One last thing about yeast cells, and probably the most important.  This is where the question that I know some of you have been asking - "Where does God fit into this whole picture?"- is answered.  Yeasts essentially need three things in order to grow.  Water (God says: I will pour out my Spirit on everyone.' Act 2:17), nutrients ("I am the bread of life," Jesus told them.' John 6:35) and oxygen or air (God… breathed life-giving breath into his nostrils and the man began to live. Gen 2:7).  Without God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - the church will not, cannot, grow and become what we are intended to become.

I think you need to answer more specific questions. eg.
Why is Yeast a vital ingredient for making bread?
Questions like these are FAQs' and for a child of 12 or 13 doing a class assignment its very important to answer questions that could be helpful.
Especially, if you would like to gain more publicity because not many sites do this.
Thankyou,
Regards, Emma
--Emma L ( teletubies_rule_me at hotmail dot com ) on 3/21/2004; 4:54:04 PM