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Business Sense - “As a pastor, I feel pretty good about most aspects of my responsibilities (spiritual, preaching, pastoral care, etc.), but I’m recognizing a deficiency in the business-side of ministry. I don’t have a business background, and I realize there’s a lot I need to know in those areas. I’d love to hear seasoned pastors share a few tips about the business lessons they’ve learned relative to their leadership in the church. Could you please share some “business sense” with me?”
Responses:
Pastor Larry Bjorklund – Joplin, MO
In my short lived 18 years of pastoring and a decade plus in business, make your banker your friend. Honor him and he will protect you and help you...
Pastor John White – Decatur, AL
Fortunately, I had a business background before being a pastor. Thank God for that opportunity; it has helped me tremendously.
During my many years as a pastor, I have had the privilege of ministering to other ministers and the most common problem with young and inexperienced ministers that I see is a lack of business sense. These same people might be very gifted speakers and preachers with a very tangible anointing on their life, but they make some of the most horrible mistakes when it comes to the business side of ministry. You are way ahead of the game when you recognize that you need help in this area.
My recommendation to any young preacher is to educate yourself in the business world. Go back to school, take some college courses from a local college, and read and study as much as is possible along these lines. Next, make sure you are taking advice and counsel from someone who is qualified and has a proven background of stable, solid business practices.
Never let ignorance be your downfall, and always maintain a life of prayer. God is real smart and he is the best businessman that I know, he’ll help you when you don’t know what to do. He’ll direct your decisions!
Pastor Sam Smucker – Lancaster, PA
What I have done is find businessmen & women who are committed to and love the church to help in these areas. As pastors, we need to surround ourselves with people that have strengths that we do not have. For example, we added to our staff a bank manager who served for 25 years as our financial overseer.
Also, I look for people who have business experience to serve on our Board of Directors to help make the right business decisions. These individuals have helped put budgeting guidelines in place, etc. By doing this it has given me more time to stay in my strengths.
Pastor John Pfeffer – Seekonk, MA
I have found that there has to be a balance between the spiritual side and the business side of the ministry. Jesus recognized the balance when He told Peter to render unto Caesar what belongs to Caesar and unto God what belongs unto God. (Matt 22:21).
While I was an attorney, I represented a number of churches and young pastors who thought that because God had called them and they felt a mandate from Him, that they were somehow exempt from business considerations. Others believed that because they were exempt from federal taxation that they were exempt from any governmental responsibilities.
Business is nothing more than proper handling of money and other resources, including people, talents, and time, towards accomplishing a goal. The difference between business and ministry is that the purpose of business is to make money while the purpose of ministry is to fulfill the mission given us by the Lord.
The “business” side of ministry includes a number of different areas that may need attention, depending on the size of the organization. Most important is the need to keep a proper set of accounting records and a well-managed checking account. I have found that the handling of finances is the area often most neglected and is also the one area that can cause the greatest harm if not managed properly.
Since most churches and ministries are formed as corporations, it is important to comply with your state’s corporate requirements, many of which involve annual reports.
The more employees an organization has, the more important it is to have a solid human resource advisor on such issues as benefit packages, employee handbook contents, and procedures for hiring and terminating employees, etc.
Another aspect of business that I have found very helpful is a sound organizational structure, i.e., clear lines of authority and responsibility. Without these clear lines, there is usually confusion and frustration among the staff. The size and form of the organization will depend on the size of the ministry. A small ministry may only need one level of authority, while a larger ministry may need several levels.
My best advice is to seek the help of professionals in these areas. Pastors are often reluctant to spend the money, but I have always seen this type of spending as an investment in laying a solid business foundation.
Pastor Thom Fields – Kennewick, WA
I think influence, John Maxwell’s one word definition for leadership, is totally relevant to the business-side of leading the church. Obviously, the more you can learn about business and management, the better. However, I don’t know that the question, “How did we get here?” is nearly as important as, “Where the heck are we?” Making the prayer-filled destiny decision is the tough one. Finding the assistance to get there is secondary. Utilize people in the congregation when you can and go find the help you need, wherever you have to go to get it when it’s not readily available in the house.
There is so much information available that we don’t have any good excuses for not knowing how to achieve almost any goal. Knowing what the goals are, on the other hand, is where your true success hangs. Once you’ve determined the God-given destiny of your church, you will gain the needed insight as to which conferences/webinars/publications may offer the right solutions to most of your business needs. Other churches and ministries have probably already forged a way through the wilderness for you.
In summary, the most important business decision you’re going to make isn’t, “how do we accomplish this task?”; it’s “which task are we going to accomplish?” The rest of it will become available to you through relationships and information gathering.
Pastor Al Jennings – Ft. Wayne, IN
Personally, I like to read a variety of business books to learn strategies that I can apply to the church I pastor. In these books, I've picked up secrets of success from companies such as Disney, Apple, Ritz-Carlton, Starbucks, and others. I’ve learned some things about what they do to service their customers. The reason that is important to me is because I believe service is what ministry is all about.
Many successful businesses serve their customers with such excellence that they keep wanting to come back to them to purchase more product. It's not all about just the quality of their product; it's also the level of service they provide. I believe churches should lead the way in customer service. So I read these books to learn strategies they implement to ensure that their team members serve their customers with a high degree of excellence, and I've used some of those strategies to train our own volunteer staff and workers.
Even though you don’t have a business background, through books you can grow in your “business sense.”
Pastor Doug Foutty – Parkersburg, WV
This is the side of ministry that won’t ‘feel’ like ministry. It doesn’t feel like what you are called to do, yet it is part of the package. Sometimes even if the business side is not your strength, you still have to do the work until you can find someone you trust to delegate the duties to. I have found that if you don’t have someone that you can fully trust with certain duties, it is better to give it your best effort rather than have someone with no skills attempt the duties and ruin what you have worked so hard to build. Go to another pastor whose skills you admire and ask for some pointers. Don’t be afraid to admit that you need help and ask God for wisdom and guidance in your endeavors.
Don’t ignore the business end. Do cast the care of it on the Lord. He is the best business partner you will ever have.
Pastor Matthew Mangan – Williamston, MI
Business deficiency can be dealt with by taking classes to bring you up to speed with your deficiency. Find someone to mentor you in these areas, or find someone who you trust and who is strong in business and let them take care of the business side of things. However, make sure that they can make clear to you what they are doing, using words and examples that you can understand! It’s like going to the doctor and him telling you what’s wrong with you. Then when you get home, your wife asks you, “what did the doctor say?” You tell her, “I’m not sure what he said.” I want a doctor who can explain to me what’s going on so I don’t have to go to Med. School. You want someone who can explain the business-side to you without you having to go get a business degree. It’s still your decision on what and how to do things, but now it will be based on sound, well-explained knowledge. Hope this helps.
