Some Easter trivia for you. Wednesday is the only day of Holy Week that we don’t know what Jesus did. After a hectic Palm Sunday and two days of confronting the establishment, healing, and preaching, scholars speculate that Jesus chilled with friends in Bethany. Given what Thursday through Sunday held in store, I think Jesus was smart enough to take a day off.

Jesus’ cleansing of the temple on Monday of Holy Week got me thinking. As Bruised Camels, we usually focus on taking our faith into the business world. But this week I wonder what Jesus would think about how we bring business into our churches.

Journey On,
~Mark

Mark King
​Mark@BruisedCamels.com | ​LinkedIn​
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Jesus | Business in the Church

Is Church Merch Sacrilegious?

Right after he entered Jerusalem on Sunday, Jesus went to the temple. He was not happy. Tables were turned. Rope whips were brandished. I wonder how Jesus would react if he walked into your church or mine? My church runs a great little coffee stand, a micro-sized bookshop, and sells a few very hip clothing items. Would Jesus turn over the coffee bar and t-shirt rack?

I don’t think so. We price coffee and merchandise fairly, if not cheaply. Our pastors don’t push their books from the pulpit. But I have been thinking about how commerce fits into church life. Even if your church doesn’t sell coffee, I’m betting you charge for some events and merchandise. Where do we cross the line from serving to exploiting?

For local churches, the fundamental answer is straight forward. Don’t imply that there’s a spiritual benefit or requirement to the commercial aspect of church life. If you want to overcharge to raise funds for something, that’s fine. But explain what you’re doing. Recoup your costs for events and materials, but offer free or subsidized options. Participation shouldn’t require a purchase.

I wonder though, can you as a businessperson help your church go beyond simply avoiding exploitation? Maybe there’s an untapped ministry opportunity for you? Can the bookstore differentiate from Amazon through curation and highly trained volunteers? Can you adapt pricing models from other industries to make events accessible for everyone?

You have a lot to offer your local congregation (see below). But don’t overlook the obvious.

Business | Work at Faith

Your Pastor Doesn’t Want Your Business Skills

What do you say to your pastor if he or she resists your offer to bring your business acumen to church? Seems unlikely these days, but perhaps you sense hesitance, if not resistance.

I stumbled on a blog post by Barnabas Piper. He used to work in publishing and now pastors a church and writes books. So, he sees business and church from both perspectives. He said what I wanted to say so well that I’ve excerpted a chunk of it here.

Piper starts the post with a story. “I had a conversation recently with a long-time evangelist and church leader. He was bemoaning the state of leadership in the church and at one point said, with great passion, ‘Pastors are not CEOs; they’re shepherds!’…Right about this time, though, the guy’s ideas jumped the rails. He went on to call out several pastors of mega churches…“bringing all this business into the church.” He decried business principles for ruining the church and undermining its mission and message.

It is true that the church is…not a profit earning entity… Church is about people and purpose…But to define the usefulness of business principles so narrowly as to say they “ruin the church” is false. (It’s also discouraging to businesspeople in the church, but that is an article for a separate day.) [Preach it, Brother!!]

Most effective business principles aren’t directly about profit; they’re about organizational health and effectiveness. And, while the church is not a business, it is an organization. This means that the principles of David Allen, Chip and Dan Heath, Seth Godin, Patrick Lencioni, Simon Sinek, Jim Collins, Peter Drucker, and others certainly do apply to the church. Such principles [however]…are not an end in themselves.

A church could feasibly be a healthy organization but worthless in the mission of Jesus. But such principles do remove obstacles to the mission. They can increase the effectiveness of those working toward the mission. And they can create an environment that is open to those being invited into the mission.”

Piper hits the nail on the head. Your skills can magnify spiritual ministry. You can do more than help with the budget. You can contribute knowledge and practices that reduce organizational and operational friction. What church doesn’t need that?

Jesus | Reflection Resources

Easter Refresher Course

Only a few days until Easter. If you strike up a conversation with colleagues about Easter weekend plans or why you’re taking Good Friday afternoon off (you are taking Good Friday afternoon off, right?) You don’t have to tell them to watch Mel Gibson’s The Passion of The Christ. Here are a couple of very digestible videos to share if they’re curious.

Bible Project has two 5-minute videos that would be great for that colleague who never heard the story. The Crucifixion of Jesus and The Resurrection of Jesus cover the story from Luke.

Kitchen Drawer | Follow-up

The Correct Way to be an Authentic College Applicant

In the last edition I looked at being authentic in the workplace. Lee Cerling sent in a great article from The Hedgehog Review. “How to Be Yourself: The Studied Art of the College Application Essay” Here’s a shock! There’s a formula for writing an “authentic” essay. I had three reactions:

Pragmatic Reaction: I need to give this article to every high school junior I know.

Cynical Reaction: Of course there’s a formula. And of course, there’s an industry of consultants who help parents help their kids write essays. Why am I surprised?

Grateful Reaction: Thank you Lord that my boys got into the schools they wanted to and that seem like a fantastic fit. And thank you that I went to college in the 80’s.

Hedgehog did an entire print edition on authenticity in culture today. Interesting, scary, and enlightening all at the same time.

Thanks Lee! If you’ve got a resource or article on something I cover here, PLEASE send it (desperation intended). I can’t find all the good stuff out there and would love to hear from you.

Kitchen Drawer | Wrap-up

One Last Thing

Do you like the new camel? Click reply and let me know. Have a Blessed Easter! He is Risen!!