Entrepreneur.com

Below are some notes from an article on Entrpreneur.com. I believe that the church can learn a lot from the corporate world.

Those companies that break through the ceiling of growth have to challenge the status quo and innovate continuously. If your church has come to a plateau in growth, search for areas where you can be innovative such as the way your church offers Communion or Baptisms. Fresh ideas will bring in new faces.

They must also be good at finding waste and elimination it – whether it’s in terms of finances, production, time or materials. Check on the way your church purchases office supplies. Most ministries have their own budget to purchase these items, but what if you consolidated? Have someone purchase supplies for the whole organization rather than individual ministries. Buying in bulk could save some money in the long term.

You can’t have steps that don’t add value. Eliminate unnecessary meetings, forms, etc. Are there things in the worship service that don’t reinforce the central message?

It’s making sure you have as lean an organization as you possibly can, both in people you have and in the steps they take to deliver the service. The goal is to become a well-oiled machine.

The typical scenario is to focus on product, sales cycle and people (in that order), but the companies that win are the ones that spend more time hiring the right people. The right staff will buy into the philosophy and take ownership of their ministries.