Reflection: Judas, the Organization Man

I got to thinking earlier today that unless we are careful, we may unknowingly be following in the footsteps of Judas Iscariot. I think those who hold leadership roles within a (and any) church organization may be particularly susceptible.

What am I trying to say, you ask? Judas Iscariot is not portrayed very favorably by the gospel writers. He is portrayed as one who is scheming, thieving, conniving, and only looking out for his own interests.

However, if we take the time to look at Judas from a different angle, we might see something different. My suggestion is that Judas was a model Organization Man. He would be the kind of executive and manager that business and churches today would likely welcome. His concern was for the organization -- its growth, its viability, its survival. He had initiative. He had a vision for the organization, and he would do whatever was necessary to turn his vision into reality, even if that meant going up against his boss when the survival of the organization was at stake. Judas saw himself as an employee of Jesus. He wasn't stealing from the common pool -- he was getting paid for the services he was rendering. When it looked as if his employing organization was headed towards bankruptcy, he was simply organizing a bail-out effort. He believed in the organization, he identified with it, it was his raison d'être. He honestly believed his vision for the organization was the same as the vision of its leader, even though we know that he was dead wrong.

If you are reading this and you belong to a church, particularly if you are a leader in a church (and especially if you are paid by the church), ask yourself these questions:

• Are you at all concerned about the survival of your organization?
• Are you worried about the security of your employment?
• Do you believe that God needs your organization in order to accomplish His mission?
• Do you tend to identify yourself first as a member of your organization, and perhaps as one of its leaders, rather than as a servant of Christ?
• Are you very certain about what you believe is the vision and mission of the organization?

If we think the organization is indispensable, that its survival and fulfillment of God's mission are closely related, if we are worried about the security of our employment, if we identify ourselves more with the organization than with Christ, and if we hold rigidly to what we think is our organization's vision and mission, I think we may be treading dangerously close to falling just as Judas Iscariot did.

It is my belief that if our focus is first, foremost, and solely on being a Christ-presence and a servant in our spheres of influence, God will work the organizational concerns as He sees fit. If He wants the organization to exist, He will allow it to survive and thrive. On the other hand, if the organization is a stumbling block to His purposes, He will allow it to die. Who knows, this could be another application of the dying seed Jesus talks about in John 12:23-26.