Reality & Structure in Christian Ministry

The issues to be considered

The prophet Isaiah described the people of God as he saw them: '...this people draw near with their mouth and honour me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment of men learned by rote' (Isaiah 29: 13). He showed that there was a difference between what was happening externally and what was really happening. We are well accustomed to this distinction being made, but the question involved for those in Christian ministry is: 'What is the relationship between reality and the expression of that reality in structures?'