CT article: Angela Tilby suggests that the CofE should heed the problems of the Post Office
Is the management hierarchy always right?
St Paul’s analogy of the Church as a body has been widely influential in Western culture. It suggests that “corporations”, institutions, fulfil their function only when there is mutual respect between those creating policy and those enacting it.
Hierarchies have their place, but they should never be merely about command and control. ie whole notion of hierarchy is explored theologically in that ancient mystical text the Celestial Hierarchy of Pseudo-Dionysius. The work describes how different elements of God’s creation work together for a common end under divine providence. Proper function depends on proper relationships, mutual recognition, and respect. But the Post Office bosses preferred the machine.
The Church of England should take note, because we have seen the way in which it has prioritised reputation management over the needs of abuse victims, and top-down management over parish mission. Its mindset, corporately, is perhaps closer to the Post Office’s than the New Testament’s.
