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This thesis, entitled  "Chaordination:  Discovering God's World of Order, Chaos and New Order," was completed as part of the Master of Arts in Theological Research program at Andover Newton Theological School (Newton, MA).  It was completed in 2006 and suggests that God created a world embodied by the inspiring forces of order/stability, chaos/change and new order/rebirth.  It further suggests that all churches are called - or chaordained - to be part of this world and can align their organizational structures and models to this natural order of order, chaos and new order.   

You can view the contents of the thesis below and read the entire thesis (in pdf) by clicking here.

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Contents

 

DEDICATION

 

INTRODUCTION

 

PART ONE: OUR CHAORDAINED WORLD

1. GOD OF CREATION: CHAORDAINED FOR OUR WORLD

• Defining Chaos Theory

• Prigogone and Hock: Finding the Charodic Way

• God our Rock and River?: Exploring Chaordic Theology

• The Chaordic Universe

 

2. GOD OUR BAKERWOMAN: CHAORDAINED FOR OUR ORGANIZATIONS

• The Chaordic Organization

• The Ingredients of a Chaordic Organization

• Open-Organization

• Self-Organization

• Self-Learning

 

3. GOD OF POWER: CHAORDAINED ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERS

The Chaordic Leader: From the Inside

• Know Thyself

• Values and Motivations: Loving, Trusting and Risking

• Excuse Me God.There.s a Power of Choice in My Fork?

• The Chaordic Leader: From the Outside

• Relationships: The Chaordic Core

• Visions: Mine, Ours and God's

• I'm In Control! Who Has the Power?

• Knowledge and Information: The Source of Power and Nourishment

• A Final Word of Caution

 

PART TWO: OUR CHAORDAINED CHURCH

 

4. GOD OUR GARDENER: CHAORDAINED FOR OUR CHURCH

• The Church as the Garden of Eden

• Coming Out Chaordic

• Walking in the Garden of Eden: Looking for Our Unique Chaordinations

• The Rocks of Eden: Original, Old, Ongoing Order

• The Frost of Eden: Death, Decay and Letting Go

• The Rivers of Eden: Chaos, Creativity and Change

• The Winds of Eden: God.s Breath Upon Us

• The Sun of Eden: God.s Energy Upon Us

 

5. GOD OF DIVERSITY: THE MANY REFLECTIONS OF CHAORDINATION

• The Plants of Eden: Our Beautiful Diversity, Our Emerging New Lives

• Resources Dealing with Chaos/Transition/Change

• Resources Dealing with Classic Church Growth

• Resources Dealing with Popular Church Growth/Health

• Resources Dealing with Church Renewal/Restructing/Retraditioning

• Resources Dealing with Church Mission/Purpose/Vision

• Jumping From the Tree of Life: What Never Changes

 

PART THREE: OUR CHAORDAINED FUTURE

 

6. GOD OF OUR FUTURE: LIVING OUR CHAORDINATIONS TOGETHER

• Chaordained Relationships

• Knowing Living

• Fearful Living

• Loving Living

• Just Living

• Creative Living

• The Chaordained Future

 

APPENDIX A

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

 

Life is full of births, deaths and rebirths. It is full of creations, floods and rainbows. It is full of Egypts, wildernesses, and Promised Lands. It is full of incarnations, crucifixions, and resurrections. It is full of periods of orientation, disorientation, and reorientation. It is full of order, chaos, and new order. That's what life -- that's what the Christian life -- is all about! We are all in relation with a Timeless God who interacts with us as God our Rock -- a source of order -- and God our River -- a source of chaos. This is the cycle of life and our faith: order, chaos, new order. Life, and the Christian way, are chaordic! - page 4

Chaordination is the Creation-based desire of God which urges all living things -  and all human organizations -  to reflect the threefold chaordic way of order, chaos and new order.