Something I've heard a lot: We need to run this church more like a business. Something I've never heard: We need to run this business more like a church.
I suspect that is largely because you haven't sat in on any board meetings at Apple*... oh wait, you said Church not Cult... well... close enough anyway.
* I say this as an Apple user who realizes the cult-like quality of the Mac user-base.
Just curious here, I came across your blog after reading Jason Campbell's blog, what is your gut reaction to the idea of running a church like a business? And who do you perceive is running the church? Not looking for a "right" or "wrong" answer here, just curious about your perspective.
Derek, Obviously there are business aspects to the church. I used to run a business. There is nothing wrong with business. For me, the rub comes with the reality that in the hierarchy of our society, businessmen are at or near the top while "religious" men (pastors/leaders/etc.) are moving toward the bottom. In an effort to regain standing, I think that pastors sometimes try to morph themselves into businessmen. Or, as Richard Rohr put it, we end up with less holy men and more middle managers.
That said, I am probably not in the best place to be expressing all this. I will likely look back on this in a year and wonder what my problem was.
Thanks Jeff! Great observations. I wonder if God being the Head of the body, i.e. the church, is even concerned with men being perceived as holy in the currant humanistic society as opposed to being holy in His kingdom.
4 comments:
I suspect that is largely because you haven't sat in on any board meetings at Apple*... oh wait, you said Church not Cult... well... close enough anyway.
* I say this as an Apple user who realizes the cult-like quality of the Mac user-base.
Just curious here, I came across your blog after reading Jason Campbell's blog, what is your gut reaction to the idea of running a church like a business? And who do you perceive is running the church? Not looking for a "right" or "wrong" answer here, just curious about your perspective.
Cheers,
Derek
Derek,
Obviously there are business aspects to the church. I used to run a business. There is nothing wrong with business. For me, the rub comes with the reality that in the hierarchy of our society, businessmen are at or near the top while "religious" men (pastors/leaders/etc.) are moving toward the bottom. In an effort to regain standing, I think that pastors sometimes try to morph themselves into businessmen. Or, as Richard Rohr put it, we end up with less holy men and more middle managers.
That said, I am probably not in the best place to be expressing all this. I will likely look back on this in a year and wonder what my problem was.
Thanks Jeff! Great observations. I wonder if God being the Head of the body, i.e. the church, is even concerned with men being perceived as holy in the currant humanistic society as opposed to being holy in His kingdom.
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