Money may not be your primary responsibility as a church, but it’s certainly important. While God does provide for our every need, he also honors those who are faithful with what they’ve been given.
Business and church — running your church like a business, thinking about opportunity cost, revenue and growth, is one way to stay true to these fiscal responsibilities.
Second, your ministries will be more sustainable.
As churches, we have big hearts for the needs of people everywhere. We’re experts at beginning ministries—with sky-high dreams about how we’re going to change the world.
But while our hearts are in the right place, our plans might not be strong enough to sustain our grand visions.
This is where business expertise and training can come in handy.
You need a plan in place to make your ministries sustainable. You can have idealistic dreams of “changing the world,” but if at some point our expenses outweigh our profits, the lifespan of our ministries (and therefore our impact) is going to be a short one—even with the greatest of intentions.
Third, you’ll take care of your people.
Our churches are run by people, and it’s crucial we take care of them. I’m not sure where the unspoken “because it’s ministry I shouldn’t get paid very much” rule came from, but for whatever reason, many churches are abiding by it. If morale is low on your team, if people are undermotivated, if there seems to be jealousy and division, perhaps it’s because people feel they’re not being fairly compensated for their efforts.
The better we function treating the church as a business, the more we can care for the people on our payroll, offering them benefits and a fitting salary in exchange for their love and hard work.
When we neglect the business side of our staff, we’re not helping anyone. We’re hurting people and their families who depend on them. And as a result, we neglect those we’re trying most desperately to serve.
Take good care of your staff so they can take good care of others.
Sure, the business world can be heartless, but it doesn’t have to be. In fact, it can be really smart. When you make more money than you spend, understand budgets, embrace what it takes to hire a high-functioning staff, understand sustainability and maximizing resources—your church can thrive.
Treating a church as a business doesn’t have to be a godless endeavor. In fact, creating a healthy, sustainable, well-managed business and church organization might just be the best way to serve our congregation well.
