Doing a diploma

[LivingRightForGod]

My church is a bible based church and i am doing a church diploma. I would like some help on church government. What are you view on church government. Should a church be run like a business what are your views please.

 

[willard3]

Is your church run like a business? If so, does it seem to work? Are people happy (spiritually as well)?

Not to be a jerk or anything, but pretty much all Christian churches are Bible-based. Do you have a specific denomination/affiliation, or are you independent/nondenom? (This might help give us a better understanding of your situation.)

 

[LivingRightForGod]

i am a free methodist church

shall i give you the actual question may be easier for me.

 

[willard3]

I am actually taking a class on Christian education, and we've talked some about church government.

My personal belief is that the church is a business (but a very, VERY loose one). Its primary business is bringing souls to Christ, not to make a profit. A church should worry about breaking even, and that's it.

Here's a few sections from my notes in that class; I thought you might like them.

• How did Jesus train people?
• If training has purpose, it must focus upon the product it seeks to produce
  • This is not implying a business, but establishes that a goal is necessary
• The nature of spiritual leadership helps us define the kind of Christian worker we desire to see
  • What kind of leaders do we want to provide spiritual leadership from the pulpit to the pew?

• 3 management principles from Lee Shelton
  • No one has weaknesses; only strengths to be developed
    • Don't focus here because it tends to instill a "loser mentality"
  • Evaluate your team in terms of strengths
  • Answering the phone is one of the most crucial business tasks you perform

 

[LivingRightForGod]

yes please can you give me a bit more please i will give you the questions we have.

1. The church is a business and so should be run like any other business

2. The church is a spiritual organisation which needs to be run on spiritual principles.

explain and evaluate these two statements.

 

[apumic]

This sounds like an exercise in critical thinking, so you should begin by considering those statements individually and thinking of arguments that support each statement.
It shouldn't be hard for you to formulate a good argument for either side of that argument (especially if one or more of your classes are studying that problem!)

 

[LivingRightForGod]

could you give me some guidelines please

 

[Autumnleaf]

A church as a business. Ain't Capitalism great? If a church is a business I think its labor should be exportable to countries where lower wages and environmental standards are the norm. Services could be done by teleconference. This way profits can be maximized for the shareholders.

In case you didn't get messy with the drippy sarcasm... Churches should not be businesses, nor should they be run like them. To do so is to place monetary goals, and faith in them, before our belief in God. Bad idea.

 

[LivingRightForGod]

Thank you a lot of people say it is a business as they have to pay the pastors etc. If they did not run like a business then the church will fall.