Why Didn’t Jesus Give Us a Church Blueprint?
Have you noticed that Jesus neglected to leave behind a detailed plan for how his followers should organise themselves? No handbook for church structure, no flowcharts of leadership, no committee guidelines. Instead, he spent his time forming a community.
Jesus called people to walk with him, to share meals, to observe his compassion, his connection with his Father, his humility, and his power. Through this shared life, they came to understand who he was and why he had come. Relationship, not organisation, lay at the heart of his mission.
As noted in Called to Community: The Life Jesus Wants for His People,
“God, through Jesus Christ, had such confidence in the Twelve that he left it to them and their fellow disciples to figure out organisational questions. They could handle the problems as they came up, guided by the Holy Spirit and following Jesus’ teaching and example.” (p. 50)
And that’s exactly what happened.
After Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit birthed the new community in Acts 2, structure emerged naturally—not by pre-determined planning, but by organic growth. The believers gathered in homes, shared meals, prayed, and supported one another. Their pattern reflected both their Jewish heritage and their lived experience with Jesus himself. What we call church was, for them, simply koinonia—a life of fellowship, devotion, and shared mission.
Perhaps this offers a quiet lesson for our churches today. Instead of hankering after the ‘right’ system and programme, we might look again to the simplicity of disciples living life together, listening for the Spirit, and letting faithful community shape whatever “structure” emerges.
Let me know your thoughts.
Your brother, Malcolm
