The Business Model of the Church

Permit me to take a spin on this topic, one that may strike controversy but please don’t question my heart.

What is the church’s business model? Can a congregation survive and thrive without being business conscience? I say no, and here is why.

What is the church’s product?

“What?” you say. “A church has a product?”

I propose that a church like any other company has a product. Those churches that are successful have created a business model of sorts around the gospel, every Bible-believing church’s product that is. Think about a church and how it gets its message out. Is this not marketing? Think about how a church finances a new building project. Is this not Financial Planning? What about a budget? Does not a church have fixed and variable costs and variable income based on attendance? Does not a mega church create other revenue streams by having ticketed large-scale productions, donations from TV ministries, Sermon products, and Book sales?

So why then do churches fail? Are they responsible with their money? Some are, some are not. Those who are have huge complexes in which they teach God’s word, but not all buildings last because some churches build on a rock and some one sand, both physically and metaphorically.

A church in its outset should create a business model. What kind of church are they going to be? Are they going to be a family centered church, a seeker-sensitive church, or are they going to be a dead church? Who is the target audience? What is the demographic makeup of the church and is that conducive to the style of leadership the pastor has and the style of worship the church will be conducting? How will the church gets its message out? TV? Radio? Internet? Pod casting? How important is presentation to the pastor and to the people of that area in where the church is located?

All of these questions should be addressed by every church and plan formed in how to achieve the maximum affect through each of these points so as to maximize the distribution of the church’s product, the good news of Jesus Christ.