It happened again this week. Another person accused our church of being too business minded to be spiritual. In 10 years of ministry, I’ve probably heard this critique a dozen times. It comes from well meaning Christians who want to see more of God in their lives and the church. They desire to experience more of God personally. And they view spirituality as a feelings game where what one feels on the inside is what counts. If they don’t feel God, then God is not there. And if someone tries to organize spiritual things, it becomes all about business and numbers.
The critique could be something like “this church just cares about numbers.” If they want to take it to level 2 it goes, “this church just cares about numbers and that’s unbiblical.” And if they want to take it to level 3 (only about 5 people have made it to level 3), “this church just cares about numbers and that’s unbiblical and the reason you care about numbers is because you’re filled with pride.” Ouch. Definitely true that I am prideful, but ouch nonetheless.
The idea that churches should not be business minded is an interesting one. Churches are not businesses and yet they are in the spiritual business. Meaning that churches are in the business of changed lives. God wants his people to be in the business of bringing him glory.
I’ve noticed that the books of Kings, Chronicles, Numbers, and Leviticus rarely come up in conversations with Christians. You don’t see verses from these books on coffee mugs or bumper stickers very often. I wonder if the lack of biblical literacy has something to do with some Christians distaste for anything that smacks of organization. In the Old Testament (and even in the New, see Acts 1), organization and planning was a key feature of God’s instruction and the way his people honored him in their liturgy. God cared about the way his people were organized and the strategies and plans they had to carry forward his mission. It occurred to me that some Christians are reading their Bibles with blinders on, unaware of the beauty of God in his organization.
God’s church is not a business, that is the church doesn’t exist as a profit making institution. But God’s people should be in business, they should be organized and strategically positioned to carry forward his mission. This includes things like budgets, planning meetings, and goals. Far from unspiritual, they are biblical.