Contents
Introduction
Christocentric economic centralisation captured in the feeding of the 5,000
Advantages of centralisation in the feeding of the 5,000
Do the disadvantages of centralisation come into play?
The Catholic Church and Centralisation: Synodality and Subsidiarity
Introduction
Last week’s post examined partnership in Christ-centred economics. Today’s post examines centralisation in the context of Christ-centred economics.
Centralisation
Centralisation refers to the concentration of authority, resources, decision-making, attention, or activity around a single controlling point. In other words, instead of several independent parts operating separately, the parts are gathered and directed from one core source. Centralisation exists in government where power is concentrated in the national government rather than distributed to state or local authorities. Nigeria largely operates under a federal government, with most matters handled in and decided by Abuja. In economics, centralisation is the concentration of planning, decision-making, and resource allocation at a single, overarching authority. Many institutions now operate a single treasury account, in which all income is collected, and all expenditure is paid from that source.
Christocentric economic centralisation captured in the feeding of the 5,000
The Christocentric theology of economic centralisation is fundamentally rooted in God’s power as the creator of the universe, who decides all things, and paradoxically does so without infringing on the freedom of each human to decide their own actions. However, a clear picture of this theology is based on the feeding of the 5,000 reported in Mark 6:35-44, with parallels in Matt 14:15-21, Luke 9:14-17, and John 6:3-13.
When Jesus preached until evening, his disciples told him to send the people away to buy food in the villages, because it was a lonely place and getting late. Jesus replied: “You give them something to eat”. The disciples answered whether they would buy two hundred denarii worth of bread for them to eat. Jesus replied: “How many loaves have you? Go and see.” And when they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.”
This is where centralisation begins to take shape. First, the five loaves and two fish were brought to Jesus, the central authority. Next, Jesus utilises his position as the central authority and “commanded them all to sit down by companies upon the green grass”. As the gospel reads, “So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties”. There were about five thousand men. When women and children are included, it could triple to 15,000. Yet, hundreds and fifties are perfectly divisible by 5,000, suggesting careful central planning.
Next, Jesus blessed the five loaves and two fish, broke the loaves and divided the two fish. All ate and were satisfied, and they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish.
Centralisation was indispensable to this miracle and to the successful feeding of over 5,000 people. Why? If the bread and fish had not been brought to the centre, they would not have been multiplied through the leverageable advantage of the central authority of Christ, namely, his divine power. A leverageable advantage is a core organisational strength, resource, or capability that a business uses as a springboard to generate new opportunities, enter new markets, or overcome competitive weaknesses. It acts as a compounding asset that scales beyond its original use case.
Second, if the bread and fish were multiplied without being in the centre, there would have been a massive stampede as each struggles to get bread and fish for oneself and one’s family. Jesus instructed that they be seated evenly.
Advantages of centralisation in the feeding of the 5,000
Economists continuously debate the balance between centralised and decentralised systems. Centralisation provides uniformity, stability, and equal wealth distribution. This is evident in the feeding of the 5,000.
Everyone ate as much as they wanted because it was coordinated from the centre. If it were not so, some would have hoarded bread and fish that they would eat for the next weeks, even if others had none to eat at that time.
Another advantage of centralisation is economies of scale, where bulk purchasing and centralised coordination can significantly lower operational costs. While John’s gospel says that a lad had the five loaves and two fish (John 6:9), Mark’s gospel reads, “And he said to them, ‘How many loaves have you? Go and see.’” And when they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.” (Mark 6:38, Matt 14:17, Luke 9:13). This could mean a lad had the loaves and fish; it could also mean they collected it from several people.
Another advantage of centralisation is equitable redistribution, which allows governments to collect taxes centrally, redistribute them to poorer regions to reduce inequality, and to invest in infrastructure that benefits all. Bringing the loaves and fish to the centre enabled a redistribution to those who had none.
Do the disadvantages of centralisation come into play?
There are disadvantages of centralisation, such as bureaucracy and inefficiency resulting from slow decision-making and stifling of local innovation. Another disadvantage is that the centre sometimes struggles to fully understand and address localised needs. Finally, centralisation and government interference can lead to supply shortages, surpluses, and a lack of market competition. In response, there is a call for decentralisation, which allows for flexibility and quick responses to local economic decisions. Do the disadvantages of centralisation come into play in the feeding of the five thousand?
No doubt, there was a slowdown in decision-making and action because Christ had to wait for them to respond to the question about the available loaves and fish. However, it did not stifle innovation because Jesus did not tell them exactly how to find out what food was available. He simply told them: “Go and see”. How the disciples found out was entirely their own making.
Humans may not fully or consistently understand local needs. However, Christ, as God, knows all. Yet, in reality, not fully understanding the other exists even among two people living in the same house. As some argue, we do not even fully understand ourselves, let alone others. Hence, the disadvantage becomes topical when views from the centre are imposed.
The Catholic Church and Centralisation: Synodality and Subsidiarity
The Church is the Mystical Body of Christ, and the Catholic Church is the largest, oldest, and continuously existing multinational institution in the world. One word for this resilience – centralisation, willed by Christ by establishing the Church as his Mystical Body and being the source of authority.
The Church, by its nature, is synodal because the faithful have always walked and will continue to walk together towards the call of Christ to holiness and the salvation of souls. Unlike a synod, which is a one-off event that can be repeated, synodality is a continuous process because the call to holiness and the salvation of souls is a journey.
The principle of subsidiarity in canon law means that the Church entrusts matters to the lowest competent authority and allows higher authorities to intervene only when the lower level cannot adequately fulfil the task. In other words, the principle means that “no matter that can properly be dealt with at a lower level should be taken to a higher one. Subsidiarity is recognised as an important principle if the exercise of primacy is to guarantee the participation of the whole Church in the decision-making process” (Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, The Bishop of Rome: Primacy and Synodality in the Ecumenical Dialogues and in the Responses to the Encyclical Ut Unum Sint, 2024, n.176). For more on subsidiarity in Church structure, read Posts 225 (20October 2025) to 228 (10 November 2025).
Conclusion
The feeding of the five thousand demonstrates the importance of centralisation. Due to the leverageable advantage of centralisation, where capabilities compound, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.
May God continue to help us🙏🏾
K’ọdị🙋🏾♂️
