Wir sind bettler. Hoc est verum.

This is something I am still thinking about here, but I’ll put out some of my thoughts.

First, what does this mean be run like a business? Does it mean that churches should make a profit and sell good? Have investors, stock, investments, ect? Does this mean it should be concerned with budgets, and have CEO’s and managers?

Second, what does it mean to not run it like a business? Does it mean that you aren’t thoughtful or methodical in your decisions? Does it mean you have no plan, no leadership, no purpose? Does it mean you don’t care about money?

When people say that a Church should or shouldn’t be run like a business I would argue that they have not thought about most of these issues. What it seems to me is that people either think Church’s should be run “by faith” with lessons only being taken out of the Bible, with only people “called” to ministry working there. Profit shouldn’t be a focus, for the church, or for its workers.

And then there are those people that say it should be run like a business, which they mean by is that it should be very structured, based on numbers and performance.

However, I think both probably are missing the point and what a Church should be like. Now I don’t claim to be an expert, and these are just a few thoughts I’ve come up with.

I think churches would do well to have people in positions of power, who are actually gifted and trained for those positions. They would do well to train all their employees, and seek people who are gifted and motivated to work in their respective fields.

I think for some jobs at a church, what matters is that the person is for your church (like how you want employees who actually like your company / business and products) but they dont have to attend your church. Just like companies don’t require their employees to only shop at their company (please show me where a company requires employees to buy from their company in their personal life). I know of no good company which says to their employees (by the way to work here, you must only go to our stores to buy your goods). So church’s like companies should hire people who like their product, like there company, and want to see it succeed.

Churches as they get bigger and create more ministries, require more jobs, and thus require more structure like a business. There needs to be a management structure, clear job descriptions, mission statement, and support from management. There should be discipline, and training, and incentives to succeed. However, managers should also remember that they also work for a church in that they should be spiritual leaders, and thus they should be patient, gracious, and loving, caring about their employees as they would their own family.

The down and short of it all is I think that Churches in a sense should be the best run “businesses”, since we have God, and we should be trying harder than any secular worker. They should be the best place to work for (not financially, although they should pay a fair working wage). Could you imagine working for a place that actually cares about you, challenges you, supports you and wants you to succeed as much as they want to? Has the structure, and programs you need, and desires you to put God and your family above them? Wow that would be amazing. And imagine that they also taught their people to model their own companies after their management style, where they succeeded in the secular world, where the church doesn’t say you are more spiritual or get more blessings by working for a church.

So much to say, so little time. What do you guys think?
Further addition to clarify my developing position: I believe that the running of the church should be more business like, however, the ministry side of the church (preaching the word and administering the sacraments) should be Gospel focused and not run like a business, God’s ways are not always our ways and it seems that the Church model is anti many business theories.