Rabbit & the Elephant (metaphor)

One of the most interesting books that I have read on the nature of Church is the Rabbit & the Elephant. In that book, the authors use the Elephant as a metaphor for corporate church: a large, single organism with many different parts, but essentially a whole, huge, lumbering creature. In contrast, the Rabbit is used as a metaphor for the small group: a small, docile creature that has a short life, but procreates vigorously.

I would recommend the book to anyone interested in the nature of relational spirituality.

I have found these metaphors to be very useful both in my own mind and in communicating relational spiritual dynamics with other people. I will continue to use them extensively.

In summary:
The Elephant is a metaphor for the corporate church.
The Rabbit is a metaphor for the small group.