Sectors

Just as Regions are the geographic divisions in society, Sectors are the functional divisions.

The Sectors in society are:

• Government
• Education
• Human Services
• Business
• Religion

Preface: A clarification and exploration of two sectors:  

“Human Services” – What happen to non-profits?

Religion – Isn’t there a “separation” when it comes to religion?

First – Human Services – The identification of the sector as Human Services is best addressed by first looking at what happened to the identification of the sector with the term non-profit.  There are two reasons for replacing the sector term non-profit.  

A. In the reality of Acquired Definitions(AD), what probably began as an IRS classification, has left us with the idea that we do not profit from the endeavors of a non-profit.  NOT SO.  It is intuitively obvious how society benefits from the institutions of this sector. Without these entities that serve people, those individuals and all society suffer the loss. It is through them that we “profit” significantly.

It has been my practice for a while to use the term Human Services for the sector providing these services.

Your Perspectives? Language?

B. Equally important, if we are going to be able to converse about society with a common language – with better mutual understanding and better outcomes – we need to recognize, in this case, that the Education Sector includes “non-profits” in, I guess, the IRS sense, not in the benefit sense.  An organization that educates is part of the Education Sector, in that it furthers the education of people, regardless of its tax classification.

So, the same with entities in the Government Sector, functioning to our benefit, while erroneously categorized as non-profit, in the IRS sense.  

In government, education, human services, business, and religion – in each sector – there are entities that meet the criteria of a non- profit, related to the IRS classification, but which benefit individuals and society.

In the previous section on Regions, one resident, Jordan, determined that various jurisdictions in the region are responsible for providing for personal and collective needs.

Now Jordon needs to know which Sector within each jurisdiction of the Region will provide for those needs. 

At the conclusion of the statement on regions, we left each constituent with the image of a mental map of the matrix of jurisdictions, their scope of responsibility and which democratically elected person was accountable for those responsibilities in that or combined jurisdictions.

Now, we add an overlay of another mental map – the five sectors.  Each contains entities which provide services with specific jurisdictions in that region.  This mental map delineates the entities within that sector, serving specific needs.  Government is delineated by city – code enforcement/libraries/street repairs, and by county – mental health/courts/elections.  And so it is for each sector within each region. Education is delineated by school and districts, by private and public.

Government and Education also all include “non-profit” foundations which further the outcomes of those sectors.

So each sector contains entities which have specific functions that serve individuals. Some of these entities also meet the IRS criteria of “non-profit.”

Second – Religion – There has been a longstanding misperception that in the United States there is a “wall of separation” between religion and “state” – which has been applied to all institutions, significantly those of the Civic Sectors – government, education, human services, business.

The United States Constitution, which many erroneously believe is the source of this doctrine of “separation,” actually calls for (a) no establishment of a state supported religion, and (b) the guarantee of every individual’s right to the expression of their religion beliefs and practices.

What is actually incumbent upon the these “state” institutions is the prevention of (a) any act which would serve to endorse one religion over another and (b) any act which would prevent any person from fulfilling their religion beliefs and practices.

Now, what is essential is the shift, within society, from these historic two “competing narratives” — (a) the United States as a nation with a designated religion, or, (b) the United States as a nation with “a wall of separation” between religion and state.

The reality is, and should be the general perception, is that there is an “alignment” which governs the relationship between religion and “state.” This alignment is, like all functions within the United States, a matter of discernment, on a case by case bases, so that any action by the state or by the institutions and individuals within the nation, are conducted consistent with all the provisions of the United States Constitution, including those specifically outlined related to religion.

This has, in fact, always been the case for the institutions of the Religion Sector, signifcatly congregations, and the institutions of “state” (all the Civic Sectors) regarding any function related to personal health and safety which is a function of, or related to, any Religion Sector institution.

And further, and with greater significance, this is particularly critical as it relates to sustaining and advancing the historic role of congregations, in collaboration with the institutions of the Civic Sectors, in providing their vast Congregation Based Resources (CBR) of people, material and sites, on behalf of individual and community needs.

Advances in coordination which significantly extend the amount of Congregation Based Resources (CBR), resulted from one recent religion based initiative. This unprecedented initiative was predicated on seeing the religion and “state” relationship as one of an “alignment.” This alignment does take care to acknowledge what are unique roles of religion in a democratic society. Conveying this “alignment” is the intent of the Founders in including a statement about religion in setting up the Constitutional framework for establishing a democratic society.

A broad advance which results from this initiative is enlarging the scope of what was envisioned by community leaders as the transformational capacity of “Cross Sector Collaboration.” This has been limited, in reality, to Cross “Civic Sectors” Collaboration. Community leaders can now achieve the full fulfillment of their vision of Cross Sector Collaboration, with the availability of the alignment of the “appropriate” and “efficient” design of the infrastructure of the Religion Sector.

This is particularly essential, in as much as congregations are the single largest institution of constituents in the community – (a) their number of those affiliated, (b) their frequency of weekly gatherings and modes of electronic communications and (c) the presence of a recognized clergy leader who can significantly influences the congregants, and, by extension, their family and friends.  This leader can also introduce gathered congregants to community leaders from each of the Civic Sectors.

The blogs will further the exploration of each of these sectors.

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