By Ken Behr

I was a business manager in the 1990s, and at the time there was an axiom that said, “No one ever gets fired for buying IBM.”

IBM was “Big Blue,” and they had a commanding share of the market.  Their computers were well known and built to last; yet, at the same time, anything but cutting-edge.  The saying was true in that buying IBM was safe, predictable and boring.

I was one of those people who didn’t like doing or recommending things because they were safe.  To me, it seemed like there were great opportunities for those that had taken risks.  I became one of those managers that was known as a risk-taker.  It served my employers well, but sometimes made my career felt a little shaky.  Nevertheless, risk-taking is not an option but a requirement.  Every business today started because someone took a chance; someone started something that was risky.

If innovation and risk-taking are necessary in all organizations, that certainly includes the church.  One of the reasons we have many local churches today that have 10,000 or more members is because church leaders were willing to take risks; they were willing to be innovative.

Creativity and a willingness to change and fail are qualities that we need in our local churches.   While these are traits we desire in our lead pastors, they’re just as important in all other roles – from youth minister to business administrator.

Creativity can be as simple as introducing a new song or event, and can be as challenging as selling all of the church’s existing buildings and relocating in the inner city.  “Buying IBM” was an easy way to not get fired back in the 1990’s.  However, some of those employees and companies eventually lost everything because their organizations were no longer growing; their products and services had become irrelevant; and their competitors had taken over their customers.

Ken Behr is an executive pastor at Christ Fellowship, Palm Beach Gardens, FL. www.gochristfellowship.com.

The New Testament speaks of the rulers in the church by the designations of apostles, elders, overseers, and shepherds. While these different terms are used, they typically refer to very similar roles. The typical roles that are common in churches today (senior pastor, chairman of the board, board member) are not mentioned in the Bible, but that doesn’t mean that they cannot be very effective forms of church structure and organization.

Today, leadership in the church takes many forms. Much of what is considered proper church governance is not necessarily because of what is considered biblical but because of denominational and church tradition. Fortunately, we know that the head of the church is actually Christ (Eph 5:23).  While churches have found that often finding a better governance model advances the ministry and mission of the local church, the more important element is often not who is on the pulpit, or who is in charge of spending money, but who has real decision-making authority.

The following is a brief overview of just five of some different organizational approaches. This list is not meant to be considered exhaustive, as there are many varied governance styles. Many churches have hybrid structures embracing some parts of one form of governance for some areas and matters and another form for others.

Episcopal form of government is common in some mainline denominations where regional bishops or denominational heads supported by various church councils have a great deal of authority over the local congregation. This is typical in Catholic, Anglican (American Episcopal), and Methodist churches where the local pastor is appointed and regulated by the directions and rules of a denominational ruler or council. This form of government was the rule in the early church until the time of the Reformation. Many continue to argue the qualities of this system and the biblical merits. At the same time, it was likely the primary reason for many of the abuses that led to the Reformation.

A governing board of elders or presbyters that have the decision-making ability marks the Presbyterian form of government.  These elders or presbyters are most often elected by the congregation and hold office for a specific period of time.  In the various Presbyterian and Reformed denominations, there are both “regional” elders/presbyters as well as local elders/presbyters. As a denomination, these presbyters are convened on a regular (often annual) basis at a Synod and discuss issues of interest to the entire denomination. In recent times, these decisions have been either accepted or rejected by the local board of elders that acts as the ultimate authority for nearly every aspect of the church including the calling and oversight of the senior/teaching pastor.

A congregational form of government is most common in congregational (hence its name), Baptist and many independent churches.  In a congregational form of government, the majority rules. While very democratic in their approach, many local churches have democratically elected deacon or elder boards that administer the affairs of the local church. These boards often work very cooperatively with the senior/teaching pastor but ultimately have the authority to hire or fire the senior/teaching pastor.

Single elder/Pastoral form of government is actually rare in its purest form. While it is not uncommon for an individual to have a very broad span of control, ultimately there are decisions and oversight entrusted to an elected or appointed group of deacons or elders. As has been witnessed on a number of occasions, these groups of deacons or elders have been able to step up and provide oversight when there is a need. This happens typically by “exception” and is not normative but most often coincides with either a moral or financial failure.

Plural elder/Pastoral staff is a relatively recently adopted form of government in the local church and it has strong biblical roots.  It is most common in some of the larger and fastest growing megachurches (often becoming small denominations with multiple campuses spread over multiple metropolitan areas). In this model, the elders are typically appointed rather than elected (however, it is not unusual for the existing elders to concur in their election), and don’t necessarily have specific tenures but may have offices that are annually renewed.  Unlike other forms of governance, these elders function in a similar manner of a nonprofit board when there is a fully empowered chief executive officer. The day-to-day operations of the church are led and administered by the pastoral staff under the direction of either a senior leader or a leadership team, and the elders provide accountability and oversight. The accountability and oversight is regular and structured and includes doctrinal, directional, moral and financial oversight.

As mentioned above, this list or summary of five noticeable forms of governance is not exhaustive. While some may be interested in debating the biblical merits of various church government forms it is not the intention at this time to fully exegete the scriptures in order to determine the most “biblical” model.  However, there are some observations that can be noted:

The concepts of democracy and the election of ministers and leaders to church offices are not found in scripture. In the New Testament, elders and deacons appear to be appointed to their positions.

There is ample evidence to support a plurality of elders. (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5). The qualifications for elders focus on characteristics that must be present, including moral behavior, ability to rightly discern Christian doctrine and the example of good character.

There is much confusion over the rule of deacons in contemporary Christianity.   While the standards given for deacons were high, it was not as high as the standards given for elders.  While elders were given the task to “rule,” the deacons were primarily given the assignment to “serve.” The word for deacon in Greek is diakonos, which is the word for “servant.”  While those entrusted with church leadership all “serve,” many deacon boards are leadership boards, and other churches have co-opted the term “deacon” for a minister-in-training, or “not-quite-a-priest.”

The growth and expansion of the church from a small band in Jerusalem to what happened in the first three centuries and continues today is marked by the ascension of extraordinary leaders (i.e. Paul, Timothy, Clement, Polycarp, Irenaeus) and not by the governance or hierarchy of the church.  Often (as in the case of the Reformation) it was extraordinary leaders that were commissioned by Jesus Christ, the true head of the church, who rose up and changed the trajectory of the church forever.

Extraordinary leaders in the local church need to have the opportunity to lead, to cast vision and to change the trajectory of the local church.

Ken Behr is an executive pastor at Christ Fellowship, Palm Beach Gardens, FL. www.gochristfellowship.com

One of the big opportunities nonprofits have is to carefully understand the best roles and responsibilities of their board. Whether a board of elders in a church, a board of directors or a board of trustees, organizational needs for the right type of board members change over time. Understanding when it is time for the board to be involved in fund raising is key to expanding mission and ministry

Role of the CEO is key

When does the board become fully engaged in fund raising? That question is best answered by looking at the position of the chief executive officer. This title is arbitrary and some organizations may call this key leader the president, the general manager or director, or in the church world a senior pastor. However, the actual functions of management that the CEO is charged with fulfilling tell us much about their role as well as the role of the board.

The traditional functions of management are planning, organizing, directing and controlling, and if the CEO is charged and fully responsible for these classical functions, then likely we have a true CEO and the board can take on other responsibilities. Also, as the organization “matures,” there are more opportunities for the board to take on more strategic roles regarding fund raising.

The three phases of board maturity

I’ve discovered that all boards are not created equal, nor should they be. While all board have the fiduciary responsibilities of governance, few if any need to spend all of their time on governance. Annual executive compensation reviews, budgets and a financial audit take only a portion of the time, leaving the board with other opportunities rather than responsibilities.

When a nonprofit is in its Developmental Stage, typically in the first few years and with revenues of less than $100,000, the members of the board of directors are likely the key volunteers. They are idea people and dream with the founder about future possibilities. Their selection and appointment to board status is simple, often not even formalized and usually happens through friendship rather than any strategic plan.

In the Growth Stage, typically in the second through fifth year of the organization and when revenues are still less than $500,000 to $1 million annually, the board of director’s role begins to change. Rather than volunteers, these board members are key partners in the ministry.  CEOs look for skilled people to fill these roles that provide expertise and service that otherwise would need to be purchased or gone without.  Attorneys, tradespeople, skilled technology people are great finds for these boards and they help out with services provided in-kind. Governance becomes more important but board members are strategically selected for what they can bring to this growth stage of the enterprise.

The ultimate stage is the Expansion Stage, and the organization is likely more than five years old with revenues in excess of $1,000,000 annually. While less than 30 percent of all nonprofits ever get this large, there are still much more ministry that can be accomplished but the thing that is lacking is money. The board of directors’ emphasis should be shifted to that of fund raising, and board members are selected based on their networks of friends and associates. These are connected people rather than skilled people (i.e. Growth Stage).  They are ambassadors of the mission and ministry. They are the best people to be involved in growing the funding base.

Here are just a few ways for these board members to get involved in the effort.

• Network!  Network is not fund raising, it’s just natural
• Host a table!  Always have a list of upcoming opportunities and invitations ready
• Coordinate a grant writing initiative (city, county, state, federal, philanthropic)
• Strategically create a list of top influencers to meet
• Plan an event at your club/home/work
• Host a lunch each week with a new prospect
• Email, call or visit with donors just to say thanks
• Tell people why they serve as a board member
• Identify and recruit an in-kind service

Board members that understand the opportunity to be involved as an ambassador build a stronger and more stable funding base. They have the opportunity to be a key part of the growth and success of the organization. They build a lasting legacy and transform hearts.

Ken Behr is an executive pastor at Christ Fellowship, Palm Beach Gardens, FL. www.gochristfellowship.com

By Ken Behr

Some firms budget better than others and while there are a lot of good things we can say about budgets, budgets are never fun.

While I’ve made a transition from the for-profit side of organizations to the non-profit side, I haven’t been able to escape some responsibility for the budget process.

Budgeting at the large multinational corporation I was employed with was a very exacting process. The controller’s office was constantly aware of both revenues and expenses and about every way performance could be measured; it was measured and measured frequently.

At the same time, the actual time spent by non-finance people working on budgets was minimal. As a manager I was responsible to review and submit my budget for approval; however, the size of my budget was rarely a consideration. We grew our budgets when revenues and the business plan dictated that we had sufficient opportunity to use the resources productively.

This is typically not true in our non-profit organizations. I’ve found the process to be completely different. For years I’ve struggled trying to determine why budgets in non-profits and our churches can be so frustrating and then I finally stumbled on the reason: It has nothing to do with competency as we have some fine financial types and plenty of bean-counters in the nonprofits. The difference is related to the nature of the non-profit and how fundamentally different it is from the for-profit.

I’m not talking about taxes or whether there is stock given to owners. No, the difference between a non-profit and a for-profit is all about revenues and expenditures.

Let’s take a for-profit organization first. Let’s assume we are talking about a pizza shop. In a pizza shop, like all other for-profit companies, there is a direct correlation between the sources of revenue and the expenditure of funds. The pizza shop buys dough, tomato paste, fresh ingredients; hires cooks and delivery employees; invests in ovens, menus, advertising and assorted other things; and rents a building to sell pizzas. All of the revenue that comes into the shop is a result of the sale of their pizzas. Easy!

This is not true for the non-profit. In most non-profits, revenue comes from contributions. In a church, that would be tithes and offerings, and in other non-profits it’s donations. The non-profit, however, needs to determine where to allocate the funds that are received. Often this is a completely subjective process despite being carefully considered. This process is often continually on the agenda through the year and there is a strong and often healthy competition for the limited resources that are provided. Since the needs and the mission of the organization are broad and typically never ending, there is a never-ending desire for additional revenue to meet organizational needs and mission desires.

The vast majority of the non-profit organizations are very careful with expenses, often getting great mileage out of every dollar spent. However, because there are few linkages between successful fund raising and the resourcing of projects and activities, much more effort and thoughtfulness is required on the allocation of the money through the annual budget process.

Ken Behr is an executive pastor at Christ Fellowship, Palm Beach Gardens, FL. www.gochristfellowship.com.

By Ken Behr

One of the words we hear often when it comes to people and a particular responsibility or assignments is the word “trust.” I remember my children often saying, “Don’t you trust me?” when we were setting boundaries, limits on activity, or checking to see if their homework was completed. As parents, my wife and I often had to explain that it’s not about trust but about training. The concept of trust, while important, is not as important as other things. Other things like training, equipping and generally gaining experience are the way people establish trust.

This concept and understanding of training and trusting is important in our churches and ministries. When we have important processes, tasks and responsibilities, it’s best not to rely solely on trust. It’s only through training that we can truly expect that important processes, tasks and responsibilities are executed properly. Training provides the appropriate knowledge transfer and an adequate period of time for the employee or volunteer to gain the experience needed to do their job properly.

No shortcut in training

While all jobs and assignments don’t have the same complexity or skill level required, all require some measure of training. Personally, I rely on the three-step training process:
I do it
We do it together
You do it, I watch

I’m not sure exactly when I first heard about this model, but I have learned that not only does it work but it also can’t be bypassed. This doesn’t mean that as a pastor, I need to train every staff member and volunteer, but it does mean that everyone being trained needs to have someone that personally demonstrates, supports and then supervises in order to verify knowledge and skill have been transferred.

Trusting is not a substitute for training

When we hear someone use the words “trust,” one of the things we can do is try to discover if the word trust is being used as a substitute for training. All too often we press new employees and volunteers into the job without adequate training. Most of us have experienced inadequately trained employees and volunteers from receptionists to preachers. When this happens, these newer and inadequately trained appear to be less “trust-worthy” when it really isn’t a matter of trust but a matter of training.

Trusting should not be a substitute for training. Trust is earned and developed through very intentional orientation and training processes that transfer knowledge and experience. The three-step training process: “I do it; we do it together, you do it, I watch” is a great and necessary part of developing trust.

Ken Behr is an executive pastor at Christ Fellowship, Palm Beach Gardens, FL.
www.gochristfellowship.com

By Ken Behr

Organizational culture is extremely important. One of the growth lids most organizations hit is when their organizational culture is contrary to their organizational goals. If your organizational goal is to reward great employees, but your organizational culture doesn’t include discussing, measuring and quantifying employee performance, then there is a problem.

Leaders lead the culture!

Church leaders, like the leaders in all organizations, are responsible for shaping the culture of the organization. Just as the actual culture of an organization is not easy to define, so too any disconnect between what is intended and what is perceived may be difficult to quantify.

In the church, some of the key positive culture factors are integrity, responsibility, servant-leadership, competency, biblical literacy, authenticity and tenacity. Your organization may have identified similar cultural values or statements that get to the heart of your church’s goals. Likely some may be grouped under the words above, others may be a little more specific to your vision for your organization.

Sometimes it’s difficult to quantify.

While it may be difficult to determine if all the employees and members of the church are displaying and rallying around the stated cultural values, it may be easier to spot when the leader is marching to a slightly different beat.

Here are some questions to ask yourself and perhaps ask others that you have given permission to speak into your leadership.

• How have I demonstrated a respect and insistence on integrity in all matters?  An integrity test is often called a ‘red-face’ test. It includes both internal and external compliance with a higher calling, a higher standard.
• Do I give people responsibility or do I often pull it back when I want to make a different decision?  Am I often accused of micromanaging despite my insistence on letting leaders lead?
• Am I a servant-leader at heart? Am I known to be the one that ‘chips-in’ and ‘picks-up’ or do I equate being a leader with being ‘up-front’?
• Do I follow the rules or, as one of the rule-makers, am I likely the exception? Budgets, internal processes and systems limitations should also apply to leaders, not just everyone else.
• Do I respect other people’s time? Or am I late for meetings or do I change agendas at the last minute?  Patrick Lencioni said in his book “Death by Meeting” that bad meetings are a reflection of bad leaders. What I have done to make meetings better?
• Am I tenacious? Do I stick to a stated multi-year plan despite setbacks and challenges?  It’s often easier to teach on the parable of the persistent widow than personally lose heart and camouflage our frustration with new or modified ministry plans.

What is described is more important than what is prescribed.

Many of the above may sound a little simplistic. However, when we examine our own behavior in light of the desired culture, we often find troubling disconnects. While it is not the practice in many churches, senior leaders – including executive and senior staff pastors – need to critically examine their behavior and their leadership style. Culture starts at the top, but in most cases what you describe with your behavior is more important than what you prescribe.

Become a fan of self-examination and reflection. King David was described as a “man after God’s own heart” and while certainly not perfect, he nevertheless was willing to say, “Test me, Lord, and try me; examine my heart and mind.” (Psalm 26:2)

Ken Behr is an executive pastor at Christ Fellowship, Palm Beach Gardens, FL. www.gochristfellowship.com.

By Ken Behr

All too often in our local churches when we are putting together agendas, looking to push into new frontiers, recruiting volunteers or putting together annual budgets, we tend to compete with each other.  Regardless of how successful or financially blessed your church may be, there are still more needs and more great ideas than resources. God may have unlimited resources but the local church does not.

Some of the best churches have found ways to replace this competition for resources with collaboration, and it’s a huge improvement in planning as well as in execution.

When one ministry competes with another ministry or department at a church for volunteers, dollars or space, the leaders are at best looking to come out on the top of a “win-lose” outcome. Some ministry wins and the others lose.

On the other hand, collaboration between and among our ministries and departments strives to find the “win-win” outcome.

Opportunities rather than problems …

One of the best ways to collaborate and look for win-win outcomes in programing and recruiting and sharing resources is to communicate. The words we use may also be problematic in communicating well. For example, as a ministry leader and pastor I make sure that when we address issues, we typically don’t want to communicate that we have “problems,” but instead we have “opportunities.” This is not just a substitution of words but also a substitution of viewpoints.

Even if the local church has the resources, facilities or the space to do multiple things well, it’s unlikely the intended audience or participant can be in two places at the same time. Most successful churches intentionally limit the amount of opportunities that the congregation is exposed to in order to allow them to be able to choose wisely and be focused on those that are the best experiences.

Where there is no clarity, people perish …

One of the best things that senior leaders can do in the church is to bring clarity to the implementation of the vision that God has given them regarding the local church. If I were paraphrasing Proverbs 29:18, I’d likely state it this way, “Where there is no clarity, people perish.” Often, the senior or lead pastor will be able to clarify that there are great opportunities for the entire church to be involved for a season in a particular endeavor. That may be a call for people to get involved in small groups or the church may decide that it is calling everyone to a fast. Other times, it may be a time for people to choose their area of interest and let people literally vote with their participation. If the ministry leaders understand and bring clarity on where and how God is leading, collaboration flows naturally and everyone wins.

Milestones are reasons to celebrate …

For years I’ve heard churches say they want to celebrate more, but so often they actually celebrate less. While we are on a journey we rarely believe we have time to celebrate. However, God gave Moses very clear instruction on making sure that all of Israel would pause from time to time to celebrate. Israel was told to celebrate the Feast of the Passover; the people were told to celebrate the building of the Temple. Nehemiah told the people to celebrate the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem.  These were milestones that would only be passed once but could be celebrated often.

In the same way, churches should be celebrating that which God values. When we celebrate lives being dedicated to Christ, people being baptized, successful building or mission projects, we draw everyone’s attention to particular milestones.  Celebrating the wins and achievements automatically help prioritize all of our future plans and opportunities.

When we collaborate, the Church wins.

Ken Behr is an executive pastor at Christ Fellowship, Palm Beach Gardens, FL. www.gochristfellowship.com

By Ken Behr

Jesus helped clarify a lot about religion. We now know that it’s not about rules and regulations but about a relationship with God. Many times, the Pharisees criticized Jesus and His disciples, claiming they were breaking the rules including the Sabbath. He said to them “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27).

Today, we continue to keep a vigilant watch over creeping legalism in our churches, as it’s easy for the symbol to replace the substance.

Our churches have gotten bigger!

As our churches have gotten bigger, we’ve added some new roles including the roles of the executive and administrative pastors.  Men and women who in addition to a calling to ministry also had extensive business training and experience filled these roles. They were instrumental in adding processes, systems and procedures that helped the church grow larger. Glass ceiling lids were broken as many churches grew beyond 500 and 1,000 to over 5,000 in attendance.

These new processes, systems and procedures came often from business and industry where multimillion-dollar budgets are common and where government and public scrutiny require exactness, full disclosure and a good paper trail.

A little bit of control goes a long way!

For years I’ve championed financial accountability, transparency and good governance for both nonprofits as well as churches.  At the same time, I’ve cautioned both nonprofits and churches to be careful to have only enough controls in place to provide proper management reporting and appropriate governance without being overburdened with time-consuming and expensive financial, system and procedural controls.

A little bit of control and procedure goes a long way.  Churches with a few million dollars or less in contributions and 40 to 50 employees should be cautious about embracing systems and controls designed for multimillion-dollar and multinational corporations.  Often there are compensating and more appropriate controls for these churches that don’t require the extensive and expensive systems.  Even smaller churches can still be managed very successfully with a little separation of duty and a simple spreadsheet.

The sayings of Jesus are ever appropriate, even in this situation.  The Church was not made for financial controls and systems, but financial controls and systems were made for the Church.

Ken Behr is an executive pastor at Christ Fellowship, Palm Beach Gardens, FL. www.gochristfellowship.com

Culture is an interesting phenomenon. For many people, the word culture refers to the arts including the visual, culinary and performing.  More academically stated, culture has to do with values and behavior in society and is typically defined by three parameters:

Language, including slang, speech style, accents and words used;
Symbols, including verbal and nonverbal, written and unwritten;
Borders, sometimes defined by rivers, oceans and mountain ranges, but often as simply as a neighborhood or even a building.

In the movie “Scent of a Woman,” Colonel Frank Slade, played by Al Pacino, is blind and hires Charlie Simms, played by Chris O’Donnell, to escort and accompany him on a busy weekend trip to New York and a number of different locations.  In one scene, Charlie and Colonel Slade walk into a building and the Colonel asks his young assistant, “What are we doing in a church?” Charlie hadn’t told the Colonel it was a church, but Frank Slade, while blind, could tell just by a number of cultural clues, such as the hushed talking, the distinctive echo of the building and the smell of the candles.

Christian subcultures are very interesting and can be just as pervasive in our modern nondenominational churches as they once were within our more traditional denominational churches. The advantage of a subculture is that it persistently and powerfully reinforces some values that the group embraces. Like an invisible hand, it arranges the language and symbols to fortify the culture. The disadvantage of a pervasive subculture is that it often communicates to people outside the group the wrong message and delivers an obvious barrier to entry.

Here in the west, many of our churches have been sensitive to the impact of overtly Christian cultural symbols and have eliminated to a great extent the most obvious barriers to entry. Most new churches and church campuses start in public school buildings, storefronts and are nondescript. New church buildings are often more about function and usage than about ornamentation. Signs, chairs and functional auditoriums have largely replaced crosses, pews and traditional sanctuaries.

However, all of these contemporary, nondenominational churches and traditional churches still have to beware of the subculture that easily develops around the language that we use as well as the patterns and rituals that very easily define our behavior when we gather together.  Diversity or the lack of it is one of the major identifiers of culture.  Diversity includes the young and old, rich and poor, as well as the more easily identifiable racial, ethnic and gender differences. Many churches have come a long way, but most of us can still learn about diversity from organizations like Disney, Marriott and McDonalds.

The use of words that are more branded than descriptive can easily become a barrier to people that are outside of the subculture. Modern churches often don’t have altars, but we often invite people to come upfront to the altar. Communion is offered in our churches sometimes weekly or much less frequently, but always needs to be described rather than performed.  Activities, including children and student instructions, new-member orientation and volunteer appreciation are often clouded by our language and need descriptive sentences that help acculturate visitors. Brand-new attendees need neutral language and descriptions that help them understand and hopefully respond to what is being communicated. In addition, all too often, ‘insider jokes’ are a part of sermons, weekly announcements and even written communication. These anecdotes and mini-narratives are intended to be good-natured and often are, but they also communicate clearly that you are outside of the group if you don’t get the joke.

The best way to eliminate the barriers of entry that a Christian subculture may unintentional create is to intentionally extend the borders. Borders are the third defining element of culture after language and symbols. Borders, however, shouldn’t define the church. The Great Commission is about taking the Gospel to the people, and the true definition of the church is a people that are called-out. Buildings, auditoriums and comfortable chairs are great, but the kingdom of God grows when the people of God become the church and reach all people, subgroups and subcultures.

Ken Behr is an executive pastor at Christ Fellowship, Palm Beach Gardens, FL. www.gochristfellowship.com

By Ken Behr

I have a number of friends that are entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs run in our family and that is likely why I have an appreciation for people of like mind.  While we often think of entrepreneurs as people that risk capital to start their own businesses, there are other types of entrepreneurs that are looking to transform people, not just their personal economic conditions.

We need more people to consider becoming spiritual entrepreneurs. Spiritual entrepreneurs desire to be personally involved in the fulfillment of both the Great Commandment (love one another) and the Great Commission (make disciples). This has been the general charge given not to an institution called the church but the people that are followers of Christ.

Entrepreneurs are not satisfied with the status quo; they have an emotional desire to innovate, to change, to challenge. They are also highly resourceful, finding innovative ways to do more with less; they create enterprise, they build teams and organizations and grow-grow-grow!

In the 1950s a number of great men came on the scene and began a revolution within the church. Bob Pierce started World Vision; Bill Bright started Campus Crusade; James Rayburn started Young Life; and Billy Graham began his crusades. They were all entrepreneurs. Under-resourced and passionate, they were driven to change not only a nation but the world. They succeeded beyond what others could have even hoped. They operated outside of the traditional denominational walls and created a movement.

Today, when a pastor decides to start a church from scratch, or a church announces a new campus and appoints a campus pastor, an entrepreneur fills the role.  These small, struggling and modest beginnings are not only led by entrepreneurs but also need individuals, couples and families to join them as spiritual entrepreneurs. These pastors need people that can come alongside them, sometimes even pick up and move their residence and find creative ways to do ministry and to challenge the status quo.  Our communities are full of people that don’t know they desperately need God, don’t know there is so much more to life than what they are experiencing, don’t know that there are only two options that are available to them: life and death.

It’s likely more comfortable to fit in to growing churches, to follow well-established pathways and rely on contemporary but still conventional growth strategies.  The spiritual entrepreneur, however, will find great satisfaction in challenging conventional thinking and will need to rely on the power, wisdom and strength of God.

Ken Behr is an executive pastor at Christ Fellowship, Palm Beach Gardens, FL. www.gochristfellowship.com