Well, this seems to be an ongoing discussion where neither side is really understanding the other. It seems that some see this distinction as a laughable trend among “pseudo-spiritualizers.” These would see the “church” as being both an organization and an organism and yet proceed to explain that the organism has structure and organization necessary to function and to work and therefore, is an organization. I’m amazed at the confusion over this effort to communicate. First, because a thing has organization does not make it an organization. An organism like the human body or one of its organs has organization. Yet, the body or the heart in the body is not an organization. Surely, one can see the difference.
Second, a living organism certainly has a function and is so perfectly arranged to function as intended by its creator. The body, being one figure of the called-out is defined as being one body, but many members (1 Cor. 12:12). A member functions in the body of Christ, the called-out class of people. The question is whether the individual units in the body function in a local organization, also. This is what has been taught for many years. It explains two main division of thought in the way the word is used, according to the view – one is the universal church while the other is the local church. Thus, it is argued that the ekklesia is both an organization and an organism for this reason. It is further reasoned that the individual units of the organism perform their tasks through the organization, that is, through its parts or members. Therefore, the conclusion is that the organization is the agency of work or the agency through which the individual units work.
Third, if all blessings are found in the organization, then we must conclude that we must get in the organization to be saved and work through the organization in order for the organism to function properly. This is a senseless effort to justify the institutional and denominational nature of the church. There is nothing that the church does that the individual cannot do (the amount of work is limited to the ability of the unit is the only difference). In addition, there is nothing required of a child of God that cannot be done without the church organization. The denominational view of the church requires an organization run by its elders and supported by its preachers who receive wages in return. Most everything that is done by the individuals is done through the church under the supervision of its elders who oversee its collective work. I suggest to you that this view is the product of human reasoning handed down by our Fathers to control what is taught and practiced.
There is so much to be said about this innovation — so much that I have written an entire book in an attempt to describe it. We hope and pray that brethren will use caution when applying the text to us and come to realize that the ekklesia is consistenly that called-out class of people who function primarily as individual members of the organism. The members’ work is what gives organization, but it never qualifies it as an organization. In the same way, my body has organization because of the function of each member, but my body will never become an organization.