Why It's A Bad Idea To Run A Church Like A Business

Anyone can own and run a business. But Jesus owns the church. So he gets to say how it should be run.

Churches cannot and should not be run like businesses.

I’ve always felt that to be true. But, as a pastor, I only knew it in the abstract.

Then, a few years ago I started my own business. You're reading one of the products of it right now. The writing and speaking I do in conferences, my book, the Pivot blog and at NewSmallChurch.com also happens to be a ministry, but it’s not a church, it’s a business. My business.

I started it. I own it. I run it. And I make all the decisions for it.

In these last few years, the differences between running a business and pastoring a church have become very clear to me because I’m doing both on a daily basis. I can now say with certainty that pastoring a church is very different from running a business. Read More