Please take a moment to
contemplate the following quote:
“The Church is not a business,
and should not be run like one.”
“THE CHURCH IS NOT A BUSINESS AND
SHOULD NOT BE RUN LIKE ONE.”
Because:

It is a spiritual Organization, John 18:36;
Eph.2:6,19-22

With a spiritual Head, Eph.1:22-23

And a spiritual Mission, Eph.2:10; 3:10; 4:11-16;
6:11-12.
“THE CHURCH IS NOT A BUSINESS AND
SHOULD NOT BE RUN LIKE ONE.”
Therefore:


We’re not here to “make money” Mk.11:15-18
“As he may prosper” collections on the first day of the
week are the only authorized “fund-raiser”
1Cor.16:1-2
The “customer is not always right” Eph.5:10; 2Tim.4:3-4
It’s not Burger King and I can’t “have it my way”- it
must be God’s way! Acts 15:5-18 (an appeal was
made to “the words of the prophets” to settle the matter)
Elders were given us to make the hard decisions. Our
responsibility is to submit to them- even when we
disagree (matters of judgment), Heb.13:17.
“THE CHURCH IS NOT A BUSINESS AND
SHOULD NOT BE RUN LIKE ONE.”
Therefore:

Qualifications for leadership are spiritual- an MBA is not
listed in 1Timothy 3.
Though financial decisions are included in the
Elder’s responsibility, he only decides how best to
distribute available funds, Acts 11:30. A far greater
responsibility is the spiritual well-being of the
flock, cf.1Tim.3:15.

It should not be changed to meet the felt needs of man,
man must be changed to meet it! 2Pet.1:4; Rom.12:1-2
Whatever man’s felt needs have become, his real
need of salvation from sin has remained the same
since the Garden of Eden was closed! Rom.5:12
“OK, SO WHAT? WHY ARE YOU MAKING
THIS A BIG DEAL?”
Because “Churches” are becoming businessoriented, if not businesses outright.

“Their (“megachurches, PCS) runaway success is
modeled unabashedly on business. They borrow tools
ranging from niche marketing to MBA hiring to lift their
share of U.S. churchgoers.” (businessweek.com; May 23,
2005 cover story, “Earthly Empires”)

“To reach these untapped masses, savvy church leaders
are creating Sunday Schools that look like Disney World
and church cafes with the appeal of Starbucks….To
make newcomers feel at home, some do away with
standard religious symbolism- even basics like crosses
and pews- and design churches to look more like
modern entertainment halls than traditional places of
worship.” (ibid)
“OK, SO WHAT? WHY ARE YOU MAKING
THIS A BIG DEAL?”
Because “Churches” are becoming businessoriented, if not businesses outright.

“This year, 16.4 million-member Southern Baptist
Convention plans to “plant” 1,800 new churches using
by-the-book niche-marketing tactics. “We have cowboy
churches for people working on ranches, country music
churches, even several motorcycle churches aimed at
bikers.” (Martin King, spokesman, Southern Baptists’ North
American Mission Board)

“…there’s a hip-hop version and one aimed at teen girls.
Christian music appeals to millions of youths, some of
whom otherwise might never give church a second
thought, serving up everything from alternative rock to
punk and even “screamo” (they scream religious
lyrics).” (businessweek.com; ibid)
“OK, SO WHAT? WHY ARE YOU MAKING
THIS A BIG DEAL?”
Because “Churches” are becoming businessoriented, if not businesses outright.

“Once established, some ambitious churches are making a big
business out of spreading their expertise. Willow Creek Community
Church in South Barrington, Ill., formed a consulting arm….It earned 17
million last year, partly by selling marketing and management advice to
10,500 member churches from 90 denominations….Willow Creek’s
methods have even been lauded in a Harvard Business School case
study.” (ibid)

“So adept at the sell are some evangelicals that it can be difficult to
distinguish between their religious arms and the secular style they
mimic. Last year, Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Tex., staged a
spectacular Christmas festival, including a 500-person choir, that
attracted 70,000 people even though the cheapest ticket was $20.
Throughout the year, 16,000 people take part in its sports program,
which uses eight playing fields and six gyms on its $100 million, 140acre campus. The teams, coached by church members, bring in
converts, many of them children, says Executive Pastor Mike Buster.”
(ibid)
WHAT’S THE POINT?
A couple actually,

Rom.1:16 says that the “gospel” is God’s power to save. If
churches gain converts through other means, they have
“converted” them only to the means utilized- not to Christ.

But, “The ranks of Americans who express no religious
preference has quadrupled since 1991 (to 2005, PCS)
…Despite the megachurch surge, overall church attendance
has remained fairly flat. And if anything, popular culture has
become more vulgar in recent years.” (ibid)

Meaning, “The fields are white for harvest.” John 4:35.

We must “convert” people to Christ, not Christ and His
Church to them! This is done, not by making them feel good
about themselves in their sin through entertainment and
business strategies, but by “reasoning and persuading them
about the kingdom of God”! Acts 17:2-3,17; 18:14,19; 19:8