Wow…a major delay in posting. I am traveling and in Washington DC and really have not had a free moment to even think..(no cracks please)…but here is the post I worked on while flying east.
Being someone that works in the business world I tend to look closely at market trends, service and innovation.
My thoughts shifted to the church. How does the church fare from a business perspective?
Don’t kid yourself…the church is a business in many ways.
It operates staff, budgets, presentations and services a “consumer”. The consumer being the parishioners who attend each and every weekend.
The better the church operates itself from a business perspective, the larger that church grows and the more “consumers” it has. The larger the consumer base within the church, the larger the “revenue” or tithe in this case.
A strong church has a business model that uses a portion of its revenues (tithes) to give back in the form of missions.
Where churches often struggle in business is in the adaptation of current trends and business cycles. Many are slow to adapt or admit they have to change to meet the consumer. Some believe this is a very bad thing in that faith in God should not be a market trend but simply just the way you are.
What about new consumers? What about those who are young and have never been exposed to a life of faith? What about those who are even a bit older and have questions and/or have not been invited to a church that one day they might call home?
This is where an adapting trend based business model comes into play. A good business plan allows you to reach these people.
Social Media for example is a huge component of many companies business plans right now. It is also the driving force in our youth and how we live daily. You can receive fare specials for airlines through Twitter. Sites offer coupons for purchases, rebates for large ticket items and so on. Tweetups are occurring to discuss the latest and greatest and design new models for an ever changing world. Facebook has connected us with all of those people we long forgot. So how does this play into the church?
Some of the most active churches in the country are following suit. Recently there have been Twitter Sundays at churches, Facebook fan pages, tweets from your favorite church just to name a few. These very things are helping churches grow. Blogs of course even take the business of church a step further by allowing prospective clients or current consumers a look into the lives of their leaders maintaining a connection during the work week.
These churches work with the flow of a changing business climate. They are adapting their model constantly to help them gain market share.
It cannot go without saying that the church should be simply a place of worship and a chance for someone to simply grow their faith. It is a bit crazy to think of it as a business but that is reality…especially in the world which we live in.
General thoughts….you think church is a business?
If so, what is your churches business model? What does it do that is cutting edge and how well is it working? Are you reaching new consumers?
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June 30, 2009 at 9:08 am
My personal opinion is that i have a strong aversion to formulating a church around a ‘business’ model or base, for two reasons: Firstly i don’t think that was how the ‘Founder/leader’ of the Church chose to act and secondly because i am reasonably sure than any church that feels compelled to operate as a business will be forced to make compromises between the spiritual and the ‘physical’, or ways of the flesh.
My understanding of ‘church’ is that it adapts and takes on various forms – all with a ‘common’ objective. (bringing people to Christ as ‘the Light of the World’)
Those forms vary from someone like me at one end who tries hard to be a follower of The Word and ‘does’ church (although i vehemently hate that phrasing)
with those i meet daily in life like yourself and like my Atheist (his term not mine) friend Ed, people from all walks of life, to, at the other end, people/organisations like Billy Graham and Jerry Falwell, or the Pope who must have some sort of business structure to support them in ‘their’ church administration (not necessarily the same as ‘mine’) 
Interesting term ‘Ad-ministration’ – shared by both the church, the government and the commercial sectors. Is there a difference between administration and your use of the term ‘business’?
i guess most churches and multi-person groups all need some AD-Ministration where Jesus just seemed to need and give Mini-stration.
Why do we humans always try to ad things to a simple message so as to make or ‘do’ it ‘better?
<B
June 30, 2009 at 10:04 am
It absolutely is! For all the reason you gave above, and probably more too. My home church is on twitter, fb, podcasts, webcasts, itunes. etc. We live in a media-filled society. As Paul said…to the Jews, I became a Jew…..etc. Jesus meets us where we are at, so too does the church. Needless to say, this is where we are at: On the internet.
June 30, 2009 at 10:35 am
i think i’d agree with Love at least in the sense that i don’t appreciate church’s being founded on business type of principles.
i do, however, think that as far as tithes, offerings, pastoral reimbursements, and other financial aspects of the church are concerned, it is very important to model it after the workings of a business. i believe it is the wisest thing.
but as far as everything else…i understand the things surrounding our culture. and i am completely about always moving forward. but i think our goal always should be to model the church after the original church, rather than modeling it after the latest business trends. it’s one thing to be ‘applicable to this generation’ and it’s another to forget that God has already squared out an awesome ‘business’ plan for the church.
June 30, 2009 at 11:29 pm
A Big thing that concerns me is thet Humans have created an entity – and it is not in His or our image.
The Corporation or corporate body. The laws that control it’s development are not the same as those that determine our own development.
Churches that adopt a ‘corporate’ nature are instantly faced with a problem; How are they to be led by Faith and not by human sight (following trends or Board of Dierctor’s committee) and remain ‘competitive’ and growing in a business based world? How do they lead through Faith in a business environment that strongly follows the physical earthly ‘body’.
It may be possible but there are now a whole new range of ways we (Church leaders) can fall away from His Teachings as Scripture does not seem to consider any church structure other than the one of the Levites that was all but destroyed in 70 AD, such that we have no real Scriptural guidleines to know when the corporation is staying true to His Law, as opposed to Corporate law.?
<B