Parishes that work: Business practices for the church

Friday, June 24th, 2011

Synergy, efficiency, and compliance aren’t just for business. They’re also important for a stronger church.

Imagine the moment (with a choir in the background for good measure): under a banner proclaiming “Welcome Home!” a lapsed Catholic opens the beautifully crafted doors to the parish where she hopes by God’s grace to renew her faith life in Christ and the holy church. The friendly pastor, a smile on his face, shakes the newcomer’s hand, saying, “Thanks for giving us your business! We promise that you’ll discover we operate with best practices, accountability, transparency, and financial protocols that will ensure your donation is used effectively.”

Choir sputters out, banner blows away in a sudden storm, and the returning Catholic bolts.

And rightfully so. After all, thinking of the church—the body of Christ—and parish life in business terms is not what anyone wants. That’s just flat-out secularizing the sacred.

Isn’t it?

Rather, the goal is to adopt, to the extent possible, best practices from the business and nonprofit sector so as to more effectively utilize parish resources in service to the mission of the church

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