AUM NAMAH SHIVAYA
Man up, Christian.
You say you are the church militant,
start acting like one.
The churches — as distinguished from The Church, the Power and Spiritual Community Who animates the churches and to Whom the churches belong — need general staffs.
To the objection that this assertion assumes church polity is episcopal (clergy-run) whereas, in theory at least, the polity of many churches is congregational (laity-run) or presbyterian (hybrid laity/clergy-run), I answer that, theory be hanged, the fact is: the churches are clergy-run one way or another, or, hybrid laity/clergy-run but with clergy having majority control of decision-making.
So, let us face facts and support the mission of the churches — which is militant, for both laity and clergy — by forming for them general staffs, comme il faut.
The churches face severe opposition, even attack, from among and from outside their memberships.
From their beginnings, the churches have thought of themselves, rightly, and denoted themselves, also rightly, as The Church Militant, meaning, the demon-annihilating materialization of The Church in mundo.
The churches are militant organizations inside the mundane multi-domain, in the world, as we say. The churches have commanders (clergy), staff (deacons, sacristans, secretaries, etc), regular fighting troops (congregations), and special operations forces (monastics).
When Francis Xavier, an ecclesial special operations forces operator, entered an Indian village holding high a crucifix, he acted as light infantry on a combat mission to annihilate demons, not on a peace mission to convert heathen. Jesus said He came to this world to make war on powers of evil, not to make nice among men.
The churches are war-fighting formations, not community organization meetings. Although the churches are a corpus mixtum, The Church, Who animates and defines the course of propriety for the churches, is highly selective for actual membership in the churches because the churches’ mission is radically dangerous. Church members are as sheep (men) sent against wolves (personalities weakened or infected by demonic powers).
Of thus is the divine idiocy. You do not become a Christian unless you are up for a fight, and not against men, but against super-human (yet sub-divine) urges and impulses that belong to you but are hijacked by the not-you.
Leadership of the churches (clergy) and the churches themselves as militant organizations — and especially today, but really in all times and climes — need organizational support provided by the general staff functions pioneered in recent history by The German Army and now supporting every serious national military formation around the world.
The churches are not democracies. They are war-fighting formations operating under hierarchical command and control by clergy approved and appointed by laity and clergy in concert. Call this Hybrid Polity, if you please.
The functions of a general staff, ecclesial or military, are:
S/G/J-1: Personnel
S/G/J-2: Intelligence
S/G/J-3: Operations
S/G/J-4: Logistics
S/G/J-5: Plans
S/G/J-6: Signals
S/G/J-7: Training
S/G/J-8: Finance
S/G/J-9: Civilian-Military/Ecclesial Cooperation
In military usage, general staff functions of companies, battalions, and brigades are prefixed with the letter S, for Staff; general staff functions of divisions and corps are prefixed with the letter G, for General; general staff functions of combined arms formations, e.g., The Joint Chiefs of Staff or a COCOM, are prefixed with the letter J, for Joint.
Generally, companies comprise 130-200 personnel, counting all ranks; battalions 500-800; brigades 3500-4500; divisions 8-10 thousand; corps 25+ thousand; field armies and major joint forces comprise many more personnel than that.
As the size of formations increases, from company to field army and major joint force, so too do (1) the number of functions of the general staff actually called into service and (2) the number of functionaries called to execute those functions. For example, a company needs less staff support in number of functions and number of functionaries than does a battalion and every larger formation.
However, the total number of staff functions, whether unused in small formations or fully-engaged in large ones, remains at nine, as listed above. The reason: experience shows those nine general staff functions, and only them, as the support needed for a military formation — and really any other kind of organization — to take to the field to accomplish their mission.
General staff functions, even in small units such as companies, are conducted by enlisted personnel under direction by officers. Officers lead all general staff functions.
All clergy should learn the nine functions of an ecclesial general staff. As the drama of their career plays out, they will be their own general staff — e.g., while leading a congregation or section of a congregation numbering less than 50 persons — then serve in a function on a senior officer’s staff; then have responsibility for rudiments of a general staff while serving congregations of 100-200 persons; then have responsibility for a complete general staff while serving congregations numbering over 500 persons; and so forth, alternating between staff and command roles for ever larger congregations or regions containing several congregations.
Conceptually and per values, that is how this works. To execute, the churches today need more clergy and those of refined character and erudition. Competence-and confidence-building staff work, a wonderful instrument for refinement and learning, is essential to fulfilling the mission of the Church Militant. It breeds leaders and weeds slackers.
Maintenance of this increase in clergy should be provided by their own labor, per personal choice, in secular — so called — employment. In other words, they are to self-support rather than depend on lay generosity. Lay generosity, even if supplemented by gambling on investment income (always reprehensible), cannot support the number or quality of clergy needed to equip the churches with competent, self-improving general staffs.
Only the general economy can do that. Tillich called this economic model for maintaining church leadership religion of the concrete spirit (see also here). Harvey Cox materially, and I think intentionally, distorted the model. Certain French and Italian theologians, some of whom became Communists, porto-Liberation Theology proponents, called such clergy worker-priests.
Clergy themselves must support themselves through mundane employment. All of them. That is a necessary component of their profession. It applies from The Apostles forward.
A high bar for their character and erudition will attract more and better-prepared applicants to clerical orders. Moreover, this radical, apostolic, economic base of the profession to which they feel called will make applicants to clerical orders feel that volunteering for clerical orders is worth their while, serious of life, worth committing their precious time, money, and energy to make happen.
Esprit de corps and exemplary job performance always and only follow upon high and strong discipline. Everyone knows that, including God. Every great church reformation, from Jerome and Augustine, to Gregory the Great, to Francis of Assisi, to Ignatius of Loyola, to Teresa of Avila, to Martin Luther, to Jonathan Edwards, proceeds from — not to — what are, effectively, general staffs tasked to help commanders execute, as full-spectrum operations, the churches’ war-fighting mission: annihilate demonic powers that weaken and propagate through infected personalities.
Ecclesial S/G/J-1: Personnel
This staff function serves the cleric/commander, subordinate clerics/commanders, and their staffs by maintaining parish and regional records of interest and necessity to individual congregants and clergy. Examples include birth, baptismal, ordination, and membership records. It also maintains records of and participates in conducting leadership evaluations and assignments. His 1 Shop tells a cleric/commander who is capable of what in his formation and assures those believers that their vital stats are appreciated.
Ecclesial S/G/J-2: Intelligence
This staff function serves the cleric/commander, subordinate clerics/commanders, and their staffs by (1) observing and reporting threats forming against a congregation or region of congregations, (2) maintaining theological and ecclesial histories of a congregation, region, or denomination, and (3) producing appraisals of operational developments, geographies, and other structures — social, historical, literary, musical, etc. — a senior officer has in view or should know about before authorizing operations, during authorized operations, and after them.
Ecclesial S/G/J-3: Operations
This staff function may be considered the second most consequential component of an ecclesial formation — after that formation’s Cleric/Commander — for overall success of the ecclesial mission: repeat and glorify the Name of God.
Correlating counsel from the leaders of the other general staff functions and forming that into operational authorizations that reflect a cleric/commander’s wishes regarding activities of a parish of 500+ persons, or of a region comprising such parishes and smaller ones, is an Operations Officer’s (3 Shop’s) responsibility.
Embodiments of Divine Love! When you chant the divine name with love at least once, you will experience inexplicable and overwhelming bliss in your heart. The divine name melts even a stone-hearted person. Even ice takes time to melt, but God’s heart melts instantaneously when you chant His name with love. So chant the Lord’s name. Even while you are traveling, you must chant His name silently without attracting others’ attention. Everywhere, at all times and under all circumstances, you must contemplate on the divine name of God (Sarvada sarva kaleshu sarvatra Rama chintanam). There is no greater spiritual exercise than this. The essence of all spiritual practices is contained in chanting Lord’s name incessantly. In Kali yuga, chanting God’s Divine name is the only royal path to attain liberation. Develop noble feelings; contemplate on God with full faith that He will grant you everything you need. I bless you to lead your life with love, peace and happiness!
Sathya Sai Baba — Divine Discourse, April 14, 2003.
Ecclesial S/G/J-4: Logistics
This staff function serves the cleric/commander, subordinate clerics/commanders, and their staffs by ensuring that materials needed for the churches’ mission fulfillment are available to whomever needs them, wherever they are, in full and timely measure. Such things include books, buildings, furnishings, fuel, vehicles, monies, clothing, household goods, foods, and devotional and sacramental objects such as pictures, rosaries, staffs, flags, glass-and metal-ware, liquids, ointments, and statues.
Ecclesial S/G/J-5: Plans
This staff function serves the cleric/commander, subordinate clerics/commanders, and their staffs. Its personnel materialize a commander’s ideas and wishes into plans for action long-and short-range, but emphasizing the former. They also have responsibility, sua sponte, (1) to anticipate, contemplate, and propose plans of action, especially long-range actions, that answer anticipated, specific mission-fulfillment needs of the churches relative to secular matrixes in which the churches practice, and (2) to maintain the churches’ purity of heart and skill at executing their mission sub specie aeternitatis.
Ecclesial S/G/J-6: Signals
This staff function serves the cleric/commander, subordinate clerics/commanders, and their staffs by creating and maintaining bi-directional transmit-ability of the churches’ comms through all five domains of human endeavor: space, air, electricity (fire), water, and land. This is a large and crucial undertaking that is all but ignored by modern churchmen. If you cannot launch your forces against the devil or see or receive reports of his activities, how can you fight him? Signals personnel are proto-combat engineering operators.
Ecclesial S/G/J-7: Training
This staff function serves the cleric/commander, subordinate clerics/commanders, and their staffs. The Ecclesial S/G/J-7 may be considered the third most consequential component of an ecclesial formation — after that formation’s Cleric/Commander and Ecclesial S/G/J-3 — for overall success of the ecclesial mission: repeat and glorify the Name of God.
The Training Officer exerts direct and indirect influence on ecclesial mission fulfillment. Directly, they train a formation’s personnel in the modes of earning peace. They cultivate a congregation of little Christs, as Luther rightly denoted believers. Indirectly, they plug the churches into the power-source Who causes the churches to shine brightly, annihilate darkness, and thus fulfill their ecclesial mission. They make surging rivers of wild energy into clear pools of refreshing divinity.
The whole point of having The Church materialized as the churches is to inspire men to rediscover and enjoy their forgotten treasure, the high, divine nature of their very selves. This is the attraction of Christianity: its supremely high view of man.
The purity and regularity of liturgical practice (The Liturgy is The Kerygma);
the disciplines of study and renunciation, both religious and secular;
the acquisition of knowledge and skill in the several arts and crafts;
the procreation and rearing of children;
the habit of constant prayer, particularly repetition of the Name of God (the one nearest and dearest to one, for, although all names are His and all forms are His, one only is nearest and dearest to one, so use that one for constant prayer);
the practice of truthful, sweet, and forthright speech;
the meticulous care to align thought, word, and deed;
the ambition to practice virtue rather than talk about it;
the love of silence over noise and solitude over camaraderie;
the resolve to persevere through criticism and ostracism;
the yearning for praise that dies not with the voice giving it;
the wisdom to hate the sin but not the sinner . . .
. . . into such tremendous mysteries must the churches’ Training Officers initiate, and inspire fast holding-to by, personnel — men, women, and children — comprising their formations.
Ecclesial S/G/J-8: Finance
This staff function serves the cleric/commander, subordinate clerics/commanders, and their staffs. Finance staff’s job is to apply to its mission fulfillment monies available to a formation. Finance staff’s job is NOT (!) to RAISE (!) money. Monies necessary for ecclesial mission fulfillment are never lacking much less absent. If a formation commander wants to do something as ecclesial mission and has not monies in hand to do it, what the formation commander wants to do is not ecclesial mission. This is an eternal verity of the never varies kind. Never are means unavailable for ecclesial mission. Never. Count on that.
Man proposes, God disposes (Sathya Sai Baba). Or, as Thomas Jonathan Stonewall Jackson put it during his Cadetship at West Point: Duty is ours, consequences are God’s. What a freeing insight, a liberating realization! Yoked with his famous self-abnegation, this wisdom made Stonewall indomitable in battle and fearsome in prayer, which were his spiritual calling, his ecclesial mission, fulfilled in full.
Finance personnel have three responsibilities: (1) steward monies donated to a formation for its mission fulfillment; (2) steward monies designated for expenditure on a formation’s mission fulfillment; (3) account for monies expended on a formation’s mission fulfillment. An ecclesial formation’s Finance Officer functions rather like a production accountant on a media project.
Never think of money as in limited supply for ecclesial mission. The truth is like a lion, it makes its own finance. If money is short for an ecclesial mission under consideration, scrap the mission because neither its conception nor execution are ecclesial. The Church does not short the churches. On the contrary, She pours abundance on them as long as they are executing The Church’s mission. If abundance of means is absent, abundance of mis-take and air-punching, so to speak, are present.
Be it noted that the most dangerous job on the ecclesial general staff is the 8 Shop. Who handles money handles high-voltage transmission lines, so to speak. The possibility of incineration from the slightest mis-step is high and omnipresent.
Ecclesial S/G/J-9: Civilian-Military/Ecclesial Cooperation
This staff function serves the cleric/commander, subordinate clerics/commanders, and their staffs. It may be considered a church formation’s Public Affairs Office (PAO), but that thought skews and shorts the mission of an ecclesial 9 Shop.
His 9 Shop is a church formation commander’s knowledge-source and interface with non-believers who are uninterested in becoming believers but who nevertheless can facilitate the churches’ mission and a church formation commander’s intent regarding that mission.
9 Shop personnel and believers they enlist to the purpose have direct roles in ecclesial operations, training, and intelligence. They support non-believers who are providing or want to provide disaster relief. They inspire willing non-believers to develop habits of civilization from the rudimentary, such as clean water, food, and body, to the refined, such as spiritual practice, mathematics, and music. Moreover, for their commander, and in parallel with their 2 Shop colleagues, 9 Shop personnel profile in full-spectrum detail historical and current conditions affecting non-believers in their church formation commander’s area of interest and responsibility.
The Ecclesial S/G/J-9 may be considered the fourth most consequential component of an ecclesial formation — after that formation’s Cleric/Commander, Ecclesial S/G/J-3, and Ecclesial S/G/J-7 — for overall success of the ecclesial mission: repeat and glorify the Name of God.
The Ecclesial S/G/J-9 function of their general staffs is the churches’ archetype of the Civil Defense Battalion. The Church is the Author of civilization.
At Defense Technical Information Center
At Wikipedia
On The Philosophy Of Aesthetics
At the appointed time, necessities become ripe. That is the time when the Creative Spirit (which one can also designate as the Abstract Spirit) finds an avenue to the soul, later to other souls, and causes a yearning, an inner urge.
This yearning — this inner urge — acquires the power to create in the human spirit a new value which, consciously or unconsciously, begins to live in the human being. From this moment on, consciously or unconsciously, the human being seeks to find a material form for the new value, which already lives within him in spiritual form.
In this process, the spiritual value, searching for a form of materialization, finds matter. Matter is merely a storeroom. It is from this storeroom, that the spirit chooses what is specifically necessary for it to reveal itself — just as a cook chooses what he needs from a pantry.
Wassily Kandinsky, Über die Formfrage, Der Blaue Reiter, 1912
Βασιλεία του Θεού
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