Church Inc.

For the past 14 years I have spent my life working in the church. During this time I have had pleasure in serving in three large and generally corporate church settings. Although, I have often enjoyed the level of thought and strategic planning pop-business has brought to the church at times it has made me scratch my head and left unchecked can be very dangerous.

Once after addressing a moral issue with another church leader, this leader told that the community in question was “growing in attendance and giving and that the money does not lie.”

It made me ask: “What are we doing?” Is the church a money-making business? Is this the bottom line?

This week I attended The Willow Creek Leadership Summit, an annual event that I love to attend. During one of the sessions author and speaker Jim Collins spoke from his book How the Mighty Fall. In this talk Jim outlined how large and influential organizations have fallen over time. As I listened to this talk I thought: Now this is something the incorporated church need to learn.

5 Stages of Decline

1. Hubris Born of Success

a. Outrageous arrogance to believe that we have achieved success on our own.

b. Our decisions are good! This is because of our skill, not the work of God and great circumstances.

c. We have figured it out! We are the model of church today!

2. Undisciplined Pursuit of More!

a. Over reaching! Let’s get more! Let’s build a big room! Multi-site!

b. Don’t ask the question: “Do we have the right people on the right seats of the bus”

3. Denial of Risk and Peril

a. The team refuses to look at the risk involved.

b. Fails to put faith and fact together.

4. Grasping for Salvation

a. The game is up.

b. You start searching for the silver bullet.

5. Capitulation to Irrelevance of Death

a. It is over.

In conclusion, Jim shared that the mark of enduring organizations is the pursuit of some thing greater than success and money. As I listened to this I thought what a great reminder for the incorporated church today.