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Srila Prabhupada:
"That is not a good policy that for preaching work one has to get men from another country. One has to create manpower from the local environment. That is success of preaching. "
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Srila Prabhupada:
"That is not a good policy that for preaching work one has to get men from another country. One has to create manpower from the local environment. That is success of preaching. "
ISKCON is *not* an "Institution" - it is an Organization
I just finished reading "Living with Paradox: Religious Leadership and the Genius of Double Vision".
The author makes an important point: a church or religious organization like ISKCON is *not* an institution - it is an organization.
An institution is something like the family - something that preexists and is recognized after its existence. It continues to exist whether people want it to or not, whether they contribute to it or not. The institution exists first, and then a mission may or may not come.
An organization, on the other hand, is a group of people who come together to fulfill a mission. The mission comes first, then the organization. The organization arises from the voluntary participation and contribution of the people.
ISKCON is not an institution. It is an organization.
This is an important point. Leaders who describe ISKCON as an institution and treat it as such will find that this conception misleading and ineffective. Understanding it as a voluntary organization is a more realistic and powerful paradigm.