The Perichoretic Circle Dance vs. The Power Pyramid
The Perichoretic (Circle Dance) vs. The Pyramid: Why Church Structure Matters
There's a beautiful word in theology that most people have never heard: perichoresis. It's a Greek term the early church fathers used to describe the relationship between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—literally meaning "to dance around" or "dancing in a circle."
Picture it: the Trinity engaged in an eternal dance of mutual love, honor, and service. It is mutual indwelling without the loss of the individual. They are so perfectly one that you can't tell where one stops and another begins, yet so distinctly individual that they can give and receive love from each other. It's a flow, an ebb and tide of perfect unity in diversity.
This divine dance is the model for all Kingdom relationships. Yet somehow, the Church has largely abandoned this circular pattern in favor of something completely different: the pyramid.
Two Competing Models
The Pyramid Model (World's System):
Power flows in one direction: downward
Authority means control over others
Leaders exist to be served
Those below exist to support those above
Success means climbing higher
Appearance of “unity” achieved through submission to authority
Strength measured by position in hierarchy
The Perichoretic (Circle Dance) Model:
Power flows in all directions
Authority means responsibility to serve
Leaders exist pave the way; they go first
Leaders lift others up
Leaders do not use others to lift themselves up
Everyone contributes their unique gifts
Success means everyone flourishing
Unity is achieved through mutual submission and honor
Strength measured by collective growth
The difference isn't just organizational—it's theological. It reflects two completely different understandings of God's nature and His design for human relationships.
The Biblical Foundation
When Jesus gathered His disciples, He repeatedly challenged the pyramid mentality they brought from the surrounding culture:
"You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all" (Mark 10:42-44, NKJV).
Jesus wasn't just adjusting leadership style—He was introducing an entirely different operating system. He was revealing that God's Kingdom functions like the Trinity itself: through mutual service, mutual honor, and mutual empowerment.
Paul reinforced this when he described the Church as a body: "Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ" (1 Corinthians 12:12, NIV).
Notice Paul didn't say the body exists to serve the head. He said all parts are necessary, all parts are valuable, and all parts contribute to the health of the whole.
The Human Body Analogy
Let me expand on Paul's analogy because it perfectly illustrates why church structure matters so much.
In a healthy human body:
Every part is essential. My heart might not be visible, but without it beating, my mouth couldn't speak.
Every part contributes uniquely. My eyes see, my ears hear, my hands work—none trying to do another's job.
Order exists without oppression. My spinal cord brings organizational structure and carries life-giving signals throughout my body.
The body doesn't exist to serve the spinal cord. The nervous system serves the whole body's flourishing.
But here's what happens in pyramid-structured churches:
Some parts are considered more important (pastors, leaders) while others are seen as support staff (everyone else)
Gifts are limited by position rather than released according to calling
Order becomes about control rather than enabling life and growth
The body exists to serve the leadership's vision rather than the leadership serving the body's flourishing
When you structure the Church like a pyramid, you're essentially asking the body to function with only the leaders working in their gifts while the rest either remain passive or serve below their potential. It's spiritually crippling.
Why Pyramid Structure Appeals to Us
Let's be honest: pyramid structures appeal to something deep inside us. We are so ingrained with the idea of dominance-based hierarchies in our culture that we cannot imagine life without them. They seem to offer:
For Leaders:
Clear authority and control
Reduced complexity in decision-making
Personal validation through position
Protection from being challenged
For Followers:
Reduced responsibility for outcomes
Someone else to blame when things go wrong
Clear expectations and simple compliance
Less demand for spiritual maturity
But these apparent benefits are actually spiritual traps that keep both leaders and followers from becoming who God created them to be.
The Cost of Pyramid Leadership
After decades of observing Church leadership, I've seen the devastating effects of pyramid structures:
On Leaders:
Crushing pressure to have all the answers
Isolation from genuine feedback and relationship
Tendency toward control and micromanagement
Burnout from carrying disproportionate responsibility
Spiritual pride from elevated position
Constant fear of betrayal or people leaving
On Members:
Passive consumption rather than active participation
Underdeveloped spiritual gifts and calling
Dependence rather than spiritual maturity
Resentment when leadership fails
Leaving the church when disappointed with leaders
On the Church's Mission:
Limited effectiveness because most gifts remain unused
Heavy dependence on one person's vision and energy
Difficulty adapting to challenges requiring diverse perspectives
Poor discipleship as people aren't equipped to lead others
Weak witness to a world tired of authoritarian structures
The Perichoretic (Circle Dance) Alternative
What would it look like if churches actually functioned like the Trinity—in a circle dance of mutual service and honor?
Leadership becomes foundational rather than hierarchical. Like a foundation that supports a house, good leadership creates a stable platform for others to build upon. You don't notice excellent foundations; you only notice when they're cracked. The beauty comes from what's built on top.
Apostolic and prophetic leadership focuses on creating space for others to flourish. Rather than being the main attraction, these foundational gifts work to establish an environment where teachers can teach, evangelists can reach the lost, pastors can care for people, and every member can exercise their unique calling – inside the church and out in the world.
Decision-making becomes collaborative. Instead of one person deciding and everyone else complying, major decisions emerge from collective wisdom, prayer, and consideration of different perspectives.
Conflict becomes creative tension. Rather than being threats to unity, different viewpoints become opportunities to discover God's fuller perspective on situations.
Everyone takes ownership. Rather than showing up to consume religious services, people engage as partners in the mission, contributing their gifts and taking responsibility for outcomes.
A Personal Example
In my own journey, I've experienced both models. In pyramid-structured environments, I often felt like my gifts were constrained by my "role." I could contribute, but only within carefully defined boundaries determined by my position in the hierarchy.
But when Gregory and I began applying perichoresis principles to our marriage and ministry partnerships, everything changed. Neither of us felt threatened by the other's strengths. We could lead and follow fluidly based on gifting, circumstances, and the Spirit's leading.
For example, I often take the lead in our joint ministry projects when it comes to organization and communication—areas where I'm better suited. However, when it comes to pastoring and shepherding people, Gregory takes the lead because he's better equipped for that role. These responsibilities are traditionally assigned to the opposite gender from how we approach them—typically men lead in organization and communication while women take the more nurturing roles. Yet stepping outside these worldly and religious norms doesn't threaten his masculinity or my femininity; instead, it allows both of us to contribute our best to shared Kingdom purposes.
Even as we each lead from our strengths, we don't confine ourselves to rigidly defined roles. We never declare "this is my area" and close it off. Instead, we continue to ebb and flow as Spirit leads.
This isn't chaos—it's the beautiful order of the Trinity lived out in human relationships.
Practical Steps Toward Perichoresis
How can churches transition from pyramid to perichoretic (circle dance) structure?
1. Redefine Leadership
Leaders exist to serve and develop others, not to be served
Success is measured by how many people are flourishing, not how many people are following
Authority comes from spiritual maturity and fruit, not position
2. Create Multiple Centers of Influence
Develop team leadership rather than single-point-of-failure leadership
Encourage different people to lead in their areas of gifting
Make room for diverse perspectives in planning and decision-making
3. Focus on Developing People
Prioritize discipleship that produces mature believers over attendance that produces consumers
Create pathways for people to discover and exercise their spiritual gifts
Celebrate when people leave to start new ministries rather than trying to contain all gifts within one organization
4. Embrace Healthy Interdependence
Acknowledge that no one person has all the gifts needed for effective ministry
Create systems where different gifts complement rather than compete with each other
Build culture around "we" instead of "I"
5. Model Mutual Submission
Leadership teams demonstrate submitting to one another's expertise
Leaders publicly receive correction and input from others
Decision-making processes include genuine consideration of different viewpoints
The Foundation Matters
Here's why this structural conversation matters so much: if we don't get the foundation right—if we don't get the equality and partnership between people right—everything else we build will be unstable.
This is especially crucial regarding male-female relationships in the Church. When we maintain hierarchical structures that limit women's contributions based on gender rather than gifting, we're essentially asking the body of Christ to function with half its parts tied behind its back.
Unity cannot happen without equality. And the Kingdom cannot be unleashed without unity.
The Promise of the Dance
When churches begin functioning like the Trinity—in the beautiful circle dance of mutual honor and service—amazing things happen:
People discover callings they never knew they had
Ministry effectiveness multiplies as more gifts are engaged
Leadership becomes sustainable rather than crushing
Conflict transforms from destructive to creative
The Church becomes attractive to a world hungry for authentic community
God's image is more fully reflected through diverse people working in unity
This isn't just theory. I've seen glimpses of it in various communities, and it's breathtakingly beautiful. It's what the Church was always meant to be: the visible representation of the invisible God, demonstrating through our relationships the very nature of Trinity love.
The pyramid has had its day. It's time for the Church to return to the perichoretic—the eternal rhythm of giving and receiving, leading and following, serving and being served, all flowing from the inexhaustible love of God.
What would change in your church if leadership truly functioned as a foundation for others to build upon rather than a hierarchy to climb? How might your own gifts flourish in a perichoretic circle dance environment versus a power-based pyramid structure?
Blessings,
Susan 😊
For more insights on living out Kingdom principles in everyday life, check out our resources at KingdomBrewing.com.