Outward or Inward

We want inward change
But the gospel is external

So the temptation is to remove outward rituals or duties in the very real possibility that we begin to trust in them and not Christ

Yet we must have outward things come to us - eg sacraments, the Word - if things are to change inwardly

Here I suggest there has been a real neglect of brotherly relationships . That it is ok to establish dozens of rituals and practices, not as individuals or as necessary church structures , but rather as agreements between fellow Christians .

The body of Christ exhorting one another to set up different ways to increase faith in Christ, and adjusting and tearing down ways that have become stifling.

That way, everything remains external to the individual for the purposes of inward change

So when we put on Christ , we put on His body. - that is the Church. And through His body, the Spirit testifies from the Head to the members , returning to the head.

Thus while hierarchy is essential to testify to Fatherhood. The tops of the hierarchies - eg fathers or elders - must be flat , that they may counsel one another , speak the Word to one another and even set up fluid structures within the church to increase faith, which all are free to change once they have outlived their purposes

Not foolproof, as the whole group can work together in sin , but much better than an individualistic faith I would think.