It’s not a business

One of the most familiar statements we hear about the church in America is that “it is not a business.” I’ve heard this countless times over the years, and the well-meaning phrase is meant to convey a passionate idea; that the church is much more than buildings and staff, budgets and meetings. Unfortunately, few things are weighed down with more sad irony than this idea we are currently trying to sell ourselves. “The church is not a business”, we say, while sitting in the office during a church business meeting. It’s not a business, because businesses have employees, staff, secretaries, and janitors. It’s not a business, because businesses are all about making money, and we all know that our church makes no concern over money, right?

We believe in the radical Jesus

We believe he was counter-cultural 

We believe that we should be too, as

long as we are still comfortable

We believe in the accounts

of the apostles, and tell everyone else 

live like they did, while we don’t

We got this idea in our last meeting

We believe we are progressing, 

despite all evidence to the contrary

We hold onto our own traditions, 

calling it Holy

Those who progress are heretics

We believe in the spreading of the gospel,

and make those who want to spread it beg

before a board of directors

Businesses have boards, we are not a business

We say we support missionaries we have never met

and put their picture up to make it seem like we know them

That picture is in the office, one of the offices

Business have offices

We are not a business 

We believe that God rewards faith

We put our faith in our budget, and

the people paid by the budget

Business have budgets 

We are not a business

This is an adaptation of a poem written by English journalist Steve Turner. Being that it does no good to simply complain about something, I readily admit that plenty of books and articles have been written criticizing the church on different subjects. While I do believe that most of the criticism is deserved, what’s more important is the solution. When it comes to this idea of the church not being a business, I have few solutions. One, the church could stop playing word games and just admit it has become a business. Or, a better solution would be for the church to gain a sense of urgency about its mission. Do we think that God is impressed with our buildings and signs? As Dwight Whitsett once wrote, our buildings are nothing more than pitiful imitations of cathedrals. If we are going to pour obscene amounts of money into these brick monuments, they ought to at least be used to serve the community instead of ourselves. Do we think God is impressed with our programs? With our brother-big-name staff? We ought to be using our resources and time to serve, to connect, and to help the local communities. Our missionaries should never have to beg for our resources, elbowing for space on the budget among a stack of other business propositions. The world would experience shaping, extreme change for the better if churches and the people in them could energize a revolution against a stale, corporate Christianity that has assumed headship over what was once Jesus’ movement.

There is so much the church could do if it weren’t such a business.

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