We need the community.
It’s simply impossible to live out the Christian life to love others, to share the truth of Christ with others, and be the body of Christ that bears each other’s burdens apart from one’s relationship with other people in community.
And as soon as people gather in communities, there needs to be some organization and ways of being to which people must adhere to. Or put in another way, we need organizations and institutions in order to be in community as the body of Christ.
The only way to remain uninstitutionalized and unorganized is to remain in isolation.
But it is precisely in community where we learn to be loving, kind, patient, forgiving, etc.
There are still many good reasons why we ought to be wary of the way most churches and denominations have become inwardly focused.
We ought to reject institutions and organizations that behave as if the only thing that matters is the ongoing survival of the institution. We ought to reject churches that have forgotten the mission to make disciples of all nations.
As one of those who have been critical of institutionalism, perhaps we need to be careful to not to reject institutions and organizations in toto, for by doing so we may be rejecting the church, the gathered and sent people of God.
