Does Business Leadership Belong in the Church?

By amazon Tuesday, December 17, 2019 Comment Edit

Business tools aren’t the key to having a healthy church, but they can help the church remove unnecessary obstacles to fulfilling her mission.

There’s a perception that, as church leaders, we cannot take much from the secular business world and apply it to the church. In fact, many people often object to using business practices in the church.

An overuse of business practices has caused some to refer to the CEO model of church leadership. This model brings the concern by some that a business model of running a church deemphasizes pastoral care.

It’s true that an overemphasis on business tools can shift the focus from ministry to people to efficiency in operations, but that need not happen.

Business tactics at times have been prioritized over the Word of God. Instead of being used as tools, they were instead seen as goals.

Once a business-like church ran smoothly, it could easily forget about its true purpose of being the body of Christ. This has resulted in the church conforming to the world around it and relying on tools more than trusting in God.

For some, a perspective on a sacred-secular divide can create an uneasiness with anything not explicitly found in Scripture. The Bible doesn’t have a book on leadership, so leadership principles from the business world are considered secular, not to be trusted.

But Scripture focuses on righteousness versus unrighteousness, not secular versus sacred. Unscrupulous or manipulative business concepts, whether used in a church or in a company, should always be shunned. But sound business principles should be known and followed.

Business tools aren’t the key to having a healthy church. The Word of God should be the foundation of everything that we do within our churches. But if we believe God is truth and His world reflects His glory, business tools can be useful in church life.

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