A Business Model for the Church

I hate when people use business analogies in describing church. Using business principles in running a church? Yes! But analogies for describing a church? No! Its hard enough to get the words right for God. Human analogies rarely work for the Divine and the same goes for the work of Jesus through the church.

So I’m going to use a business analogy for the church.

Most manufacturers today aren’t the ones selling their product. They rely on another company to market and sell what they produce. In many cases the retailer or marketer takes 90% of the profit. The numbers (at first) don’t seem to match up. Why wouldn’t the person/company who made the product get the majority or at least half of the profits? Because selling something is hard work. You can have the best product out there but if no one wants to buy it, it’s not a profitable product.

I believe that the “product” of the church is the best one out there (see how the analogies can get icky?). But fewer and fewer people are buying in. Part of the problem is that we’ve been marketing our programs as a product instead of the life transforming relationship with Jesus and a community that support that relationship. That’s harder to sell in traditional means.

“Selling” Christianity is not our work alone. If we don’t rely on the Holy Spirit to do the Holy Spirit’s work, we will fail every time. God is working in everyone’s life. We don’t have to sell people on God. We only have to point to where He is.

To do that we have to know God. Trust God. And love God. It’s not a great business model. But it is a great way to live.

Until Everyone Hears,