The Rev. Dr. John Morgan is the head pastor of a growing independent Evangelical church in New Mexico that uses the mega-church model. Morgan wrote a chapter in the GO Society book (disclosure: I edited that piece) that does a good job describing his efforts and how Work Levels play out in independent churches.

In these churches, the local congregation is the only authority over the pastor. They may belong to a loose association (less organized even than Baptist associations) of similar congregations but do not have a larger hierarchy. His church is based on the Congregational model, where the entire membership votes on major issues. (Or at least it used to be: I can’t imagine how this works in a church above 800 or so.)
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Schütz, John Howard. 2007 [1975]. Paul and the Anatomy of Apostolic Authority (New Testament Library). Louisville: Westminster John Knox. Pp. xxvi+307 (paper). ISBN 0664228127.

I heard about this in Wayne A. Meeks (1983), The First Urban Christians: The Social Life of the Apostle Paul (New Haven: Yale University Press), where Meeks notes:

John Shütz, in his important monograph on Paul’s authority, shows that authority is “the interpretation of power.” The person in authority focuses and directs the power of those who recognize this authority, not under force, but by their acknowledgement that his directives are “right”. Authority is thus “a quality of communication,” which entails the belief that the “rightness” of the communication could be demonstrated if need be. [pp. 122]

Review of Shütz’s Paul is available from the Review of Biblical Literature. It’s interesting to think that Shütz’s book has not been taken up. I’m wondering if it supplies any decent ideas to how power works. (Thinking that it will.) It’s available at the Christopher Center Library, so I’ll probably find out.

I’ve mentioned the idea that XLF must lose at least 80% of its value from peak for the US economy to have bottomed out. Yesterday, perhaps as a house-warming gift to Pres. Obama or a moving present to Pres. Bush, the markets tanked and XLF fell to its all-time low of essentially 8. Since it peaked at almost 32, that’s close to 20% of its value.

Two ways to look at this:

1. XLF has hit 20% and bottomed out. We’re in the recovery!
2. XLF didn’t actually hit 20% and should really be closer to 5 before a recovery starts. We have a long way to go.

I can’t say which is true but note that the UK has scared the financial world with this week’s revelations. There are many more skeletons left to be found. It’s like Belle Gunness’s yard out there.

My guess, which is entirely speculation and should not be treated as anything but that, is that XLF won’t have bottomed out until at least March, perhaps May. A bottom closer to 10% of peak seems more reasonable, given what was wrong in the financial sector.

This means that you have only a limited amount of time to revamp your career for the recovery. Time to get started if you haven’t already!