A
New Vision for the Church
Discourse IV
by Kim Michaels
January
30, 2002
Many members of Church Universal & Triumphant have made great personal
sacrifices to bring the church to where it is today. They did this because
they share the Ascended Masters’ vision of a better age. It would
seem only fair that the organization should strive to ensure that these
sacrifices bear fruit. And the best way to do that is to make sure the
church lives up to the Master’s vision.
The Masters have talked about the church attracting large numbers of
followers and becoming a major force in the religious life of the planet.
Years ago, El Morya stated that one million souls were prepared, on
inner levels, to find the teachings. Mother defined the motto of the
organization as: “Ascended Masters is a household word.”
Currently, the church does not live up to the vision of a dynamic organization
that attracts followers from all walks of life. Therefore, it seems
necessary to consider what could be done to change this situation.
Growth requires freedom
The Masters often talk about the necessity to learn from history. History
clearly shows that growth and freedom go hand-in-hand. Following are
a few examples:
- In the
first two centuries, the Christian movement experienced an explosive
growth that turned it into a living, vibrant spiritual and mystical
movement. The movement had virtually no organizational structure and
encompassed a diversity that attracted followers from all walks of
life. When the organized church was formed, it quickly eradicated
the diversity, and it defined an official doctrine that essentially
aborted the true mission of Christ.
- After
the revolution, the U.S. experienced an unparalleled economic growth,
mainly because of unprecedented freedom and opportunity.
- An American
engineer was once asked to explain why the American helicopter industry
was so far ahead of its European competitors. He said: “In Europe,
anything that is not expressly allowed by law is automatically prohibited.
In America, anything that is not expressly forbidden by law is automatically
allowed.” Therefore, the American engineers had more freedom
to develop creative solutions.
From
fear to freedom
These historical examples become more significant when we consider that
the Age of Aquarius is the age of freedom and the age of the Holy Spirit.
How can the church hope to attract followers in the new age unless it
embraces the energies of that age? If you want the church to grow, the
organization must allow room for individual creativity so that its members
can express their Christhood! If you want to build the community of
the Holy Spirit, you must give that spirit the freedom to blow where
it listeth!
To fully embrace the opportunity of the new age, the church must go
through a similar transformation as the one that occurred in the early
days of the Christian movement. Many of the early disciples thought
they should preach only to the Jews. In other words, in order to receive
the teachings of Christ, a person had to meet certain outer requirements.
One might say that Christianity was given conditionally.
One of the most pivotal moments in early Christianity occurred when
the disciples realized, through the descent of the Holy Spirit, that
it was in accordance with God’s will to preach Christianity to
the gentiles. This event lead to a dramatic shift in the early Christian
movement. The disciples now started preaching the word to anyone who
was willing to listen, and therefore they started giving the teachings
of Christ unconditionally.
Is this the real reason why the early Christian movement experienced
such a rapid growth and spread to so many different parts of the ancient
world? Consider how successful Christianity would have been if the early
disciples had preached only to the Jews. How far would Christianity
have spread beyond the borders of ancient Israel? Would Christianity
have been a major world religion today, or would it have been a small
Jewish sect?
The need for a new organizational culture
When you apply this perspective to the current organizational culture
of Church Universal & Triumphant, it becomes obvious that the church
does not allow the kind of freedom enjoyed by the early Christians.
The church is not giving forth the teachings of the Ascended Masters
in an unconditional manner. Instead, it tends to define conditions,
saying that people have to fulfill certain requirements before they
are worthy to receive the teachings and become members of the organization.
One can raise a number of arguments for why this culture might have
been necessary through the first stages of the organization’s
history. However, as we move into the Age of Aquarius, it is necessary
to consider if this culture has become outdated?
The Age of Aquarius is an age in which the individual is meant to attain
direct, inner communion with God. In other words, each person is meant
to have a direct link to God and to the Ascended hosts. In past ages,
humankind had not risen to a level of consciousness in which the general
population was ready for direct communion. Therefore, most people needed
an outer structure that could serve as a mediator between them and God.
In the new age, people are meant to move beyond the need to have anything
positioned between them and God (the I AM Presence). Is the current
organizational culture set up to help people build a direct contact
with their higher self, or is it, as so many Orthodox churches, better
suited to making people co-dependent upon the organization?
For decades, the organizational culture was dominated by a strict set
of rules. During the reenergizing process, the church officially moved
away from these rules. However, the organizational culture has not been
purged of the mind-set that resulted from this fear-based culture.
Is it likely that the current organizational culture will attract millions
of people? Is it likely that, in the age of freedom, people will be
willing to accept an organizational culture that is dominated by strict
adherence to outer rules and a tendency to judge those who do not follow
the rules to the letter? Is the current culture setting up a barrier
of entry that is similar to the early demand that only Jews were allowed
to receive the teachings of Christ?
To be successful in the age of Aquarius, the church must move beyond
a fear-based and judgmental organizational culture. This is not simply
a matter of removing the outer rules. It is a matter of embracing a
mind-set that is suited for the age of freedom. The law of free will
is the ultimate law of this universe, and therefore the motto of the
Ascended Masters is: “Let the chips fall where they may.”
If you accept the law of free will, you must accept that people have
a right to use the teachings as they see fit. You simply cannot set
up a standard for how a follower of the Master’s teachings should
be or behave.
And most importantly, you cannot allow any kind of judgment of people
or their way of interpreting and using the teachings. The Masters have
stated that no man knows the spiritual attainment of another person.
Therefore, how can anyone judge what is right for another person’s
path?
If the organization, meaning both leaders and members, would make an
effort to move beyond the old culture, then vast new opportunities would
open up. If the organization can take advantage of the opportunity offered
by the age of Aquarius, it can become a major world religion, and “Ascended
Masters” might indeed become a household word. If the organization
does not rise to a new culture, it is likely to remain a small New Age
sect.
A new organizational structure is needed
If the church could move to a higher organizational culture, this might
open the way for a new organizational structure as well. A “spiritual
organization” is almost a contradiction in terms. The organization
is started to promote spiritual teachings, however any organization
run by human beings tend to take on a life of its own. The desire to
maintain and expand the organization often becomes a goal in itself,
and this goal might even eclipse the original goal of spreading the
spiritual teachings. This is exactly what happened to Christianity when
the Orthodox Church was formed. Within a few centuries, the organized
church had eradicated the diversity and spirituality of the early Christian
movement, and thereby it had effectively aborted the spiritual mission
of Christ.
The Christian movement moved from having no organized structure towards
a highly centralized and control-based organization. Church Universal
& Triumphant already has an organized structure that is highly centralized
and, to a large degree, based on control. If the church is going to
be successful in the Age of Aquarius, it must move beyond this centralized
structure. In the age of freedom, a centralized and control-based organization
is not likely to attract large numbers of followers.
Is important to consider why the church has not already attracted millions
of followers. In doing so, it becomes obvious that the church is caught
in a Catch-22 situation. The body of teachings given forth by the Messengers
were given at the highest possible level. Therefore, to receive the
teachings in their original form, a person must have attained a certain
level of consciousness. If millions of people were to accept the teachings
in their current form, people would have to raise their consciousness.
However, to raise their consciousness, people need the teachings. Therefore,
people cannot raise their consciousness until the accept the teachings,
and they cannot accept the teachings until they raise their consciousness.
What can break this impasse? The organization must follow the direction
given in several dictations, namely to take the original teachings and
step then down so that people can accept them at their present level
of consciousness.
The old organizational culture effectively says that to receive the
teachings, people must come up to a higher level. If this was the true
attitude of the great White Brotherhood, no human being would ever have
made their ascension. When Sanat Kumara arrived on this planet, he did
not demand that the evolutions of Earth should step up to his level
of consciousness before he would talk to them. He approached them at
their level of consciousness, and he helped them take the very first
step on the path. You cannot help people by demanding that they come
up a hundred steps in one jump. You can only make progress on the path
by taking one step at a time.
There is room for both organizers and creators
A previous discourse explains that a successful organization needs both
organizers and creators, and this has important implications for the
growth of the church:
- In the
past, the teachings of many spiritual organization were watered down
until the original content of the teachings was lost. To prevent this
from happening, the church needs a strong base of balanced organizers
who can maintain the purity and integrity of the teachings in their
original form. However, it is essential that these people remain balanced
and avoid falling into the trap of wanting to control how the teachings
are given forth or used.
- To attract
large numbers of followers, the church needs a strong group of balanced
creators who can step down the teachings and relate them to people’s
present level of consciousness and present interests. It is essential
that these people remain balanced and do not fall into the trap of
watering down the teachings so the original message is lost.
This points
to an organizational structure that has two spheres:
- The inner
circle. The mission of these people is to preserve the teachings and
make them available in their original form. The original teachings
will serve as a lodestone for the entire organization and for its
followers. This part of the organization needs to be run by organizers
who have a flair for detail.
- The outer
circle. The mission of these people is to reach anyone who is receptive
to some aspect of the teachings. The stepped-down teachings will serve
as a point of first contact with the organization, and they will help
people get anchored on the path. As people rise in consciousness,
they can gradually begin to take advantage of the teachings in their
original form. This part of the organization needs to be run by creators
who can see the big picture.
If the church
would embrace this organizational structure, the inner circle could
form a stable foundation around which the outer circle could revolve.
The inner circle would provide stability and balance, while the outer
circle would provide dynamic growth. This would give many current members
a new sense of dedication and mission, because they could now see how
they could express their personal Christhood and fulfill their personal
mission while working within the framework of the church.
Give the teachings unconditionally
To fully embrace a paradigm that allows the teachings to be given unconditionally,
many changes must be made to the organizational culture and structure.
Such changes obviously requires much thought and the input from many
sides. The following is simply meant to suggest some of the changes
that could be considered:
Who
owns the teachings? Currently, Church Universal & Triumphant
is acting as if the organization owns the teachings of the Ascended
Masters and therefore has a right to control how the teachings are given
forth and used. This is similar to what happened when the Catholic church
began to act as if it owned the teachings of Christ. The Catholic church
soon started tampering with the teachings and it withheld much of the
original source-material.
Does our church actually own the teachings? If anyone can claim ownership,
it should be the Masters. However, why not consider that the teachings
actually belong to the world; they are a world spiritual heritage! This
might open up for the idea that the organization should not try to control
how the teachings are used, it should accept the motto of the Masters
and let the chips fall where they may. What the organization should
do is to preserve the teachings in their original form and make sure
they are always available to anyone who wants them.
This points to the creation of a core of the organization which has
as its sole responsibility to preserve the original teachings and to
make them available to the world.
The church and the teachings. This points to a new
way to look at the role of Church Universal & Triumphant. The idea
described above is that the core organization is simply making the teachings
available without conditions. Thereby, people can use the teachings
as they see fit, as long as they don’t claim ownership of the
teachings. This organization should probably be completely independent
of the church.
Church Universal & Triumphant is an organization that is using the
teachings, but it does not own or control the teachings. However, the
church is obviously the only religious organization that has been officially
sponsored by the Ascended Masters (through these teachings). Therefore,
the church can make the claim that it is the official church of the
Masters. However, the church cannot control the teachings, and it cannot
suddenly start withholding certain elements of the teachings. It can
choose to build its own doctrines, but it cannot impose those doctrines
on the organization that is charged with preserving the teachings in
their original form.
The church can define its own organizational structure and set rules
for teaching centers and study groups. However, the church cannot prevent
the formation of independent groups that use the teachings in a different
way. Such groups cannot claim to be official representatives of Church
Universal & Triumphant, but they can claim “affiliation”
with the teachings of the Ascended Masters.
One might also debate if Church Universal & Triumphant can still
make the claim that it represents the Ascended Masters? This claim only
had validity through the Mantle of Messenger, and since this Mantle
has not been transferred, it is debatable whether the church still officially
represents the Masters. Is the church simply an organization that follows
and interprets the Masters’ teachings?
Decentralization of the organization
In the Age of Aquarius, a spiritual organization cannot successfully
impose a rigid, centralized structure as did the orthodox churches in
the Age of Pisces. Instead, it must create a true sense of a spiritual
community.
Any successful community is based on freedom and diversity. The organization
must not seek to control the teachings or people’s use of the
teachings. It must simply offer people the teachings without telling
them how to use them. Give people a smorgasbord without telling them
what to eat or how many times to chew it!
This can be accomplished by allowing the formation of fraternities or
organizations that are affiliated with the teachings without claiming
to officially represent the Masters or the teachings. For example, because
of the misuse of power from orthodox churches, many people have a negative
attitude towards churches. These people might be attracted by an organization
that uses the teachings without calling itself a church. For those,
who want to study the teachings within the framework of a church, we
already have Church Universal & Triumphant. For those who don’t,
we currently have nothing.
This points towards a new organizational structure with three elements:
-
The “White-fire core.”
An independent organization dedicated to maintaining copyright of
the teachings, to preserve the teachings, and to make them available
to the world in their original form.
- The
secular branch, which might be called the Summit Lighthouse.
An independent organization dedicated to building a world-wide spiritual
community (based on the teachings of the Ascended Masters). This organization
allows the creation of groups or fraternities, and it serves as a
communication medium between all groups or individuals that have an
interest in the Masters’ teachings. This branch is an umbrella-organization
that encourages diversity.
Examples of such fraternities could be:
- An
organization dedicated to putting the teachings on satellite TV.
- A
fraternity of healers, using and presenting the Master’s
teachings on healing.
- A
fraternity focused on using and presenting the teachings as they
relate to self-help and psychology.
The secular
branch might define models for how groups can become affiliated,
and this might include setting up certain rules or levels, allowing
groups that meet certain requirements to attain a certain status.
For example, a present study group can elect to meet the requirements
for becoming an officially recognized group. However, this must
never be allowed to develop into a control-game that excludes people
from using the teachings.
- The
religious branch, namely Church Universal & Triumphant.
This organization is set up to meet the needs of those who want to
practice the teachings in a religious setting. It can choose to define
rules or doctrines that are based on the teachings, and it can set
requirements for membership, such as a requirement for communicants.
The new
organizational structure could look like this:
The
white fire core
The secular branch
The religious branch
Teachings centers, study groups, fraternities, affiliated groups
Anyone interested in the teachings
Stronger involvement of members. By allowing the formation
of fraternities or affiliated groups that are run by the members, you
open up for a more direct involvement of members. Such groups simply
cannot function without direct involvement and participation. Therefore,
if leaders of such groups lose touch with the needs of the members,
the groups will vanish and new groups will be formed that do meet the
needs of their members.
A
new relationship between the Main church and Teaching Centers/Study
Groups. Present study groups or teachings centers can choose
to be affiliated with the religious branch (stricter requirements) or
with the secular branch (broader requirements). This can be determined
by the members of the local group. Almost any group should be able to
fit in somewhere.
Allow for wider use of the teachings. If we are serious
about making “Ascended Masters” a household word, we need
to consider how this could come to pass. Is it likely that a majority
of the world’s population would suddenly decide to accept the
current membership requirements for Church Universal and Triumphant?
It is not, and therefore other ways must be found.
Again, the true goal of a mystical movement (as the early Christians)
is to spread a certain spiritual idea. It is not a goal to win members
for a religious organization! Therefore, we must embrace a paradigm
that makes it possible to spread the central ideas of the Master’s
teachings without requiring membership of a particular organization!
For example, the Masters have stated that a majority of the Christian
churches should long ago have accepted and used the violet flame. Currently,
the church couples the teachings on the violet flame with the teachings
on reincarnation, so that people who cannot accept reincarnation are
likely to reject the violet flame. If you set up a requirement that
people must accept reincarnation before they receive the violet flame,
you are not likely to reach mainstream Christianity. However, if you
could get people to use the violet flame, without requiring them to
accept any particular idea, the effects of the violet flame might gradually
make people more open-minded. Again, you have to step down the teachings
so that you can reach people in their present state of consciousness!
One aspect of this is to set up a publishing organization that is more
broad-based than what we currently have. For example, the Mormon church
runs Deseret Books which publishes official church publications. However,
Deseret books also runs a number of bookstores that sell virtually any
book that is related to the Mormon faith (and not openly negative).
Therefore, any member of the Mormon church has a way to get their books
marketed and distributed to their target audience. A similar model could
be adopted by the secular branch.
Another important aspect is to allow people to use the teachings both
privately and commercially. People should be able to quote the teachings
in publications as long as they give their source (that way people can
find more information, if they want to). It should also be possible
to use the teachings for independent commercial ventures by setting
up standard royalty agreements.
For example, the role of the white fire core is to publish the original
teachings. Obviously, this is a vast body of teachings, and it can be
difficult to find the teachings that relate to a specific interest.
Therefore, it should be possible for an individual or a fraternity to
compile teachings on a particular topic, such as healing or psychology,
and publish them. If you can show people that the teachings have something
to offer in their field of interest, they might become interested in
the teachings as a whole.
There are some legal ramifications of this, but if there is a will,
there is a way to overcome them. Other non-profit organizations have
done so.
Greater communication among members. If a true spiritual
community is to be formed, there must be free and uncontrolled communication
between members and affiliates. It should be the role of the secular
branch to establish and maintain the means of communication. This task
has never been easier because of the Internet and other forms of communication.
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