A walk outdoors is refreshing. Whether it is in the backyard, the neighborhood, a park, or a walking trail, being closer to God’s creation reminds us of the resilient, dynamic, and changing environment in which we live. Although our efforts in development and industry often tend to interrupt those natural rhythms of life, they persist.
The same is true in human organizations. Organizations—businesses, churches, not-for-profits, communities, political parties—are living systems. However far they seem to have departed from God’s creation, they still exhibit the characteristics of living organisms. If we recognize this, we can encourage those inherent aspects of life to make them more integrated, dynamic, and life-giving.
I was first introduced to this approach several years ago in a book by Steven Johnson entitled Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software, but more recently I was reminded of the idea in a webinar presented by the organization nRhythm. The basic idea is that living systems demonstrate resilience, dynamic adaptation, and emergent outcomes. In other words, they contain the basic ingredients of life, adaptation, and growth.
Where do you see the patterns of living systems showing up? Where have you observed them? Certainly, in nature, but how about families, churches, and communities? Living systems show patterns of holism, organization, and relationship.
In subsequent posts, I will reflect on each of these patterns and how they might apply to churches and denominations. In the meantime, take a walk outside and observe these principles at work.
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