When Jesus gave his disciples the great commission, he made a very clear statement about what they were to do. Matthew 28:19-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." This commission has defined the mission of the church for 2000 years. The church is made up of disciples of Christ, who make disciples of Christ, who baptize disciples of Christ, and bring every disciple of Christ under the discipleship of the teaching of Christ.
If we were to break down the responsibility of the great commission, we would find that the church needs to be very clear about who we are as Christ's disciples and what are the essential truths of the Christian faith that we must commit to for the growth and maturity of God's family.
As you read into the book of Acts and the New Testament letters, you very quickly find a church being organized to fulfill this commission. We find a council of leaders meeting to discuss the importance of how the gospel flourishes in a gentile world. We find churches being established with elders and then deacons for the spiritual oversight and administration of the church. We find the church coming together in consensus to send missionaries. We find letters instructing the church for living in holiness and protecting doctrine. Clear guidelines are given for communities living out their faith in Christ together. In every way, the church is organized and structured for the purpose of making Christ known and exalted in the world. It is structured for making disciples and growing disciples. The great commission demands a structured church.
When we think about the structure of the church, there are many ideas that come to mind. Elders and deacons are instituted for leadership and organization of ministry. Church gatherings normally have a structure (liturgy) for corporate worship in an orderly and edifying way. Membership has been the word historically used in the church for the process of recognizing disciples of Christ. In the local setting the church can maintain a defining category for identifying ourselves as believers in Christ. We can know who disciples are so we can work together to make and mature other disciples.
If the church is not structured, the church loses recognition of its identity. If we are not structured, we lose protection of our witness to the world. If we are not structured, we lose clarity on purity and any clear direction for maintaining it. If we are not structured, we muddy the waters of truth for maturing each other in Christ. If we are not structured, we deny the importance of unified commitment in the one saving truth in one saving Lord. If we lose this structure, we will soon lose the definition of a disciple and along with it, the mission of the gospel.
The great commission demands structure.