my recent & other staff's termination at my church has come as a shock to many in our church community. in listening and talking to many (congregation members and fellow staff members) i kept hearing sayings like "this felt like a business decision" or "i'd expect this in a business." it is a common saying in these scenarios and to me it is totally expected.
the methodist church is based around its committee structures and the people who make up the decision makers are laity giving their time in ministry and not ministry professionals by any mark. they are business people.. it is what they know.
as i see it though, there is a fundamental issue with bringing business practices into the church.
- the people in your church are your consumers
- the people in your church are your investors
- the people in your church are your workers/employees
think about it... that cycle doesn't work in a business plan, why do we think it'd work in church?
looking at the people in your church this way has to say that a pure business practice doesn't work. yes, business practices can translate and help, but just cutting and pasting into any/many instance and some decisions are heading down a slippery slope & a bad response.
"but the church is a business!.." true in many ways, but people want it & need it to be different. i think Christ would want it that way as well.
i don't have a great solution at the moment to move away from sayings like this, but i share this little spot light on where a root problem lies so that some of you with more intelligent minds can turn this around as well.
