Keep calm and deacon

Someone's sent me this and enjoyed, so much, thought I'd post it here:

Institutional decline

Listening to Jim Collins' 'How the Mighty Fall', in the car (wow - new bluetooth, making my previous i-phone, via hands free, sound dreadful).

He says, something like:

I've come to see institutional decline like a gradual disease:

Harder to detect, but easier to cure, in the early stages.

Easier to detect, but harder to cure, in the latter stages.

He's talking about companies, but I'm thinking about Churches. The same's true.

The seventy-two, or seventy?

When Jesus sent out seventy two 'others', did he really?

Was it seventy two, or was it seventy?

Did he send then in two's?

Did he pair them off according to gifting?

Did he send mates together, just because they got on well?

Did he put opposites together, because it would be good for them?

Did he send same gender pairings?

Did he let them do the choosing?

Did he do the choosing?

Did he keep couples together?

Did he send similar personalities, to present a common identity?

Did send those in conflict, so they could sort things out, on the road?

'Yes', to all the above .... I think!