Institutions are good, with all their flaws

March 5, 2009
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Over at Faith and Leadership, L. Gregory Jones has written a brief article called “Why Institutions Matter.” The article itself is a reflection spurred by a new book called On Thinking Institutionally by Hugh Heclo.  

Heclo and Jones remind us that our culture has a deep-seated distrust of big organizations. And yet institutions are essential to accomplishing the big, complex tasks that we face in our modern life. “Vibrant institutions are crucial to sustaining meaning and purpose in our lives and in the world,” says Jones.

Trustees and administrators of theological schools are mostly “institution people.” If we didn't believe in institutions, perhaps we wouldn't be sharing in the leadership of a school. And yet sometimes we need a little refresher course on why institutions are worth tending. 

Read Jones's article here. 


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