“Who is your covering?”

I’ve just started reading Frank Viola’s book “Who is your covering?”, which discusses leadership structures in the church. His precept is basically that the hierarchical structures in today’s church, whether Catholic, Protestant, Reformed or most independent churches or denominations, do not conform to the pattern of the early church. He paints a rather black and white picture, but I understand what he is aiming for. Some of Mary-Anne’s comments in “Heiliger Vater” are similar to the points he is making. I agree with his statement that an organised hierarchy tends to stunt the church members’ spiritual development, because they can, or even must, delegate or defer many spiritual responsibilities to the hierarchy. Imagine permanently confining a person to a playpen from birth; their development would be severely limited, and they would never reach the maturity required of an adult. As adults, it is our responsibility to raise our children so that they become adults capable of assuming responsibility for their lives and the community in which they live. I believe that this responsibility is also echoed in the spiritual realm; it is the responsibility of mature Christians to care for and mentor younger Christians, with the aim of seeing them grow to their full potential, taking the responsibility and using the gifts God gives them.