I would like to extend a welcome and an introduction to the recent subscribers who came here via Aaron Renn’s newsletter. My name is Michael Sartori, and Tectonic School is the platform I started after reflecting on my own experiences working in the church, and on construction sites.
Tectonic School is an idea about how Churches and Christian businesses can better equip and raise up men who will answer the call of God to strengthen and rebuild our decaying communities. It’s aimed at reintegrating the various aspects of modern life to restore a cohesive vision of what it means to be made in the image of God. The goal is to reclaim the forgotten wisdom that caused Christendom to flourish, while adapting to an uncertain future.
It’s a project I am working on as someone who feels the pressure of balancing a career, a growing family, and a calling to live as a light in a world of darkness. It’s born out of the wisdom I learned on construction sites, where ideals of perfection must take a backseat to getting things done. Sometimes you have to find a way to fix a problem with whatever you have on hand.
Embracing this ethos has not only helped in my own spiritual life, but it has allowed me to succeed in ministry and discipleship, in ways that are far more effective than the methods suggested by experts. It’s allowed me to publish a book, released as “rough drafts” that might never have seen the light of day, had I waited for permission or approval beforehand. By allowing my mistakes and uncertainties to be visible, I hope to encourage others to take risks and try things out.
In that same vein, I have formulated 10 core principles of the Tectonic School. These principles are not set in stone, but they reflect a prototype of something better, that will come through the feedback and experience of trying to live it out:
The Ten Principles Of Tectonic School
The Centrality of Jesus as a Tekton
The name Tectonic School comes from the Gospel’s description of Jesus as a tekton, the Greek word for a craftsman, often translated as carpenter. Our concept of plate tectonics comes from the same root, as our continents sit on foundations likened to those laid down by a tekton.
At the heart of this principle is a conviction that these details are not coincidental, but deeply significant. Not only is Jesus the Tekton who laid down the foundations of our world, but His embodied experience as a Tekton raised in the house of Joseph is an intentional aspect of His incarnation. This speaks to the role that work in the material world plays in our maturation to godliness.
This idea is also reflected in his choice of disciples, who came from a wide variety of backgrounds, reflecting different aspects of creative effort needed for the coming kingdom. This leads directly to the second principle;
The Work of Creation is Ongoing
This principle stems from the understanding that the establishment of a new covenant was not about doing away with former things, but bringing them into their intended fullness. The Great Commission is seen as a continuation and extension of the cultural mandate of Genesis 1:27
This conviction stems from the fact that work is a good and intentional part of God’s original plan, and that the increasing difficulty of work that resulted from sin was not a punishment, but a means through which God helps us recognize our finite nature, and our need for redemption.
It also means recognizing and recovering the telos of creation, the purpose for which God created the world, which helps us understand why He made it work the way it does. That telos is centered on people.
People are the Purpose
This principle recognizes that humanity is the crown jewel of God’s creation, formed in His image for the purpose of knowing and enjoying Him. Recognizing this purpose is key to understanding the ministry of Jesus and our role in His kingdom.
This means that the end goal of our work is not to produce things, but rather to become people that reflect the image of God. This principle is seen in two aspects of Jesus ministry that run contrary to the practices of our current day. The first is Jesus’s use of an apprenticeship model to train disciples. The second was his practice of selecting and calling disciples to grow into potential, rather than having them compete for opportunities.
Metaphorical Understanding Requires Practical Knowledge
Jesus showed his value for ordinary people not only by selecting disciples from a variety of backgrounds, but by teaching the people in parables that spoke to their own experiences. The people who understood the realities of fishing, farming, building and baking were able to grasp the truth that eluded the spiritual elites.
The church has held onto the spiritual lessons contained with these teachings. However, as our modern world has changed, ordinary people are no longer familiar with the mundane realities on the other side of the metaphor. Therefore, learning about things like raising sheep or planting seeds are necessary to recover the depth of Jesus’ teachings.
Once we grasp the wisdom contained within these physical practices, we can begin to translate those lessons properly into the different types of work practiced in our modern world.
The Centrality of Understanding Family
Among the many forgotten contexts of Jesus’ teaching, the greatest need is a recovery of our understanding of family. The Bible uses the metaphorical relationships of father and son, husband and wife, and brothers and sisters to explain our relationship with God and with each other.
Reassessing the purpose of marriage, parenthood, and brotherhood is of vital importance, and understanding these relationships should be encouraged as a means of understanding our relationship with God. This means recovering a concept of norms & exceptions that causes us to stop and consider our choices in light of God’s purpose for our lives, rather than our own preferences.
Embodied Work Leads to an Integrated Life
This principle is meant to help us live up to Jesus’ command that we love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. As our lives are increasingly lived online, we have become disconnected from the purpose and value of developing our bodies, and our relational skills.
Many of the problems of modern life can be remedied by learning how to work in a physical environment with real people, and practicing such labors as a spiritual discipline. Recognizing the importance of every aspect of life will produce a deep understanding of the sacred nature of God’s creation.
Competence and Character over Specialization and Efficiency
This principle builds upon the people-centered purpose of work, pushing back on practices that prioritize efficiency and output over everything else. Dividing tasks into increasingly specialized roles robs people of opportunities to grow, and leaves communities vulnerable to unknown crises.
Investment into the competence of people by allowing them to try new things transforms mistakes into opportunities, builds loyalty and trust, and creates an environment for future innovation. Developing character increases our capacity for trust, fostering the spirit of cooperation that makes communities resilient. Preparing people to step into new challenges with intention strengthens an organization throughout, and allows key figures to share the burden of leadership.
Building Interdisciplinary Character
This principle stems from the way God uses individuals in multiple roles to further His Kingdom. Jesus was both tekton and teacher; Paul used tentmaking as a means to disciple. Integrating the wisdom of their trades, along with the relational experience of being husbands, fathers, brothers, sons, and friends allows followers of Christ to reach a wider variety of people, and solve a greater range of problems.
This principle extends to the way we read scripture, and interact with different Christian traditions. Instead of focusing on who is right or wrong, we should seek to understand the reasons why others do things differently, recognizing the advantages of such distinctions. It also means understanding and embracing the temporal aspect of our work; sometimes spears are made from pruning hooks, but swords can be turned back into plowshares as well.
Constructive Non-Compliance
This principle requires us to look closely at the world in which we live, to determine where and how worldly authorities are suppressing the growth of God’s kingdom, and how best to proceed. It invites us to consider lessons like Jesus’ parable of the shrewd manager, (Luke 16) and his instruction to “not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.”
This principle applies to both the resistance of unjust commandments (such as Daniel 3) and the seizure of opportunities created with ill intentions. If Jesus does not condemn the man who finds a treasure buried in a field for not bringing it to the attention of the current landowner, Christians should not feel guilty about using tax incentives to build up communities from which the corrupt intended to extract wealth. This also extends to our judicious use of new technologies,
At the same time, our acts of non-compliance should be applied judiciously, being wise as serpents, yet innocent as doves. Everything should be done in a way that bears the fruit of the spirit, against which there is no law, and balanced by a determination not to resist evil with evil.
Recovering Purposeful Rest
This principle takes into consideration the rhythms of rest that are woven into the fabric of creation. It recognizes that working against these rhythms is as counterproductive as working against God in any other area. It is an affirmation of the belief that encouraging a work culture that prioritizes proper rest will be more productive in the long run, especially in achieving the goals of a people centered purpose.
It is also a principle that is important for Churches. Remembering that man was not created for the sabbath, but the sabbath for man, Churches should be cognizant of what they ask of volunteers who may not receive the proper rest working in our modern economy. Therefore, the services provided should be focused on building up the people within our community, avoiding the same temptations that present themselves in places of business.
Lavish grace and generosity should be viewed as investments into our future that produce returns in the form of healthier families, and happier communities. Rooted in a belief that the community of the new covenant should be a place of welcome and rest, the freedom afforded us should result in more rest, and not less.
This freedom invites us to consider the purpose behind the ceremonial laws we are no longer bound to, and integrate them into the rhythms of our lives. This includes the feast of tabernacles, a week-long celebration of abundance in which the outsiders are invited to participate in the community, which should inform our idea of evangelism, and the year of Jubilee, in which debts are cancelled
As I said, these principles are not set in stone, they are plans to be workshopped in the real world, but I think the essence of what is there reflects the needs of the future. Like most of my work, they came through the trial and error of writing, and working in the real world. As I continue to work things out, I am also sharing my more experimental thoughts on a personal blog, where I recently wrote about some experiments with AI, and I cover other things of a slightly more controversial (or simply random) nature. I try to keep this one more “professional”, but it’s all an experiment, and sometimes I expand the range of topics here as well.
If you are interested in what I am trying to do here, and would like to help out, you can support my effort by becoming a paid subscriber. This is not my full time job, but the support goes towards things like hiring a babysitter so my wife can help me in my efforts. There are a few paid posts in the archive, though I plan to share most things publicly for the foreseeable future.
Thanks for reading!