As people of faith, we like to imagine that there is a template we can engage that represents our best hope and understanding of this divine dance to which we have graciously been invited. Austere organizational structures are embraced so that we can build off the work of our forebears, adding to our present day knowledge as well as contributing to the religious foundations of tomorrow.

Some do well with a strict formulaic structure that includes counting numbers as the mandate of the Great Commission is carried out. How many attendees at weddings, baptisms, christenings, or funerals app...