The current conversations about how churches can become more entrepreneurial center on the creation of revenue-producing ventures as ways to support and expand the mission of the church. These strategies have been at work in the mission field for some time, and among urban churches that start community development corporations. But they've begun to crop up across the landscape of church life in places that aren't urban or overseas missions. But just starting a coffee shop, preschool, or co-working space doesn't go far enough. We've actually got to become more entrepreneurial.
What's fueling the shift?
A number of voices have raised the alarm that, given the shifting demographics as the boomers age, there will not be enough tithes and offerings to fund existing churches, especially not the cost of big building debt in the future. The Pathmakers Foundation, lead by Economic Theologian Jame Bolds, notes that giving to religious organizations and churches is already dropped when you look at giving trends from 2021 to 2023.
Of course, it's more than an economic discussion. Churches need to find ways to re-engage with culture and communities. But whether you view this as a financial trend or a socio-economic shift, without some kind of change, the U.S. may look like Europe and be full of empty churches that have been converted to bed and breakfast locations, unless something changes.
What's needed is a different kind of thinking - entrepreneurial thinking.
It's both the mission of the church and its cultural engagement, as well as the financial strategy that we use to fund the mission, that are at stake. What is needed is a much more entrepreneurial way of thinking about the entire enterprise. Churches need new ways to reach their communities, penetrate the demographics of people who are currently beyond their reach, and new ways to pay for it.
This is a much bigger shift than economic rethinking. It is about the entrepreneurial way that churches come to their mission. Or rather, I should say: the mission.
But there is something missing from the equation. How do you teach a church that has been solidy existing in a content and care model to begin to think like entrepreneurs? The answer is, you have to bring actual entrepreneurs into the conversation.
Here's the rub: You can't have an entrepreneurial church without engaging entrepreneurs.
As a group, entrepreneurs aren't integrated into the operation or ministries of most churches. While many church planters are entrepreneurial, the real truth is that the others who come along in the church planting process - those who are also catalytic and change makers - will leave most church plants within two to three years. They leave because the church is no longer a place that is catalyzing change. It shifts to a static and predictable model that isn't entrepreneurial at all.
We have to stop shutting entrepreneurs down
If you talk to entrepreneurs, either inside or outside the church, you hear the same story every time. The entrepreneurial leaders inside churches are very frustrated; their ideas are met with resistance or dismissed completely. Most churches have a "no" culture that rejects anything that isn't already in the plan. (Of course, there are great exceptions, but they are hard to find). Entrepreneurs who aren't insiders in the church have it just as bad because they have learned not to offer anything in the form of suggestions, ideas, or resources. The responses are just too painful, so they simply either find another expression for their mission-mindedness (the evidence is that nearly all business-related ministries are outside the church), or they just go along and participate without really bringing their gifts and passions to the table.
This is a video depiction of a true story that was shared by an entrepreneur.
First Steps for an Entrepreneurial Shift
The first step in moving any church toward a more entrepreneurial footing is to invite entrepreneurs to the table. Making room for them means identifying them and creating a space where they feel they can belong. Founder's Table does that with a combination of a kick-off dinner styled after a secret supper club (a chef-led meal that calls them together without the usual mission-banquet feel) and an 8-week group that sets the stage for their value and role as Kingdom actors. We provide a grant to support this process.
The first step is creating a sense of belonging and a place where it's actually safe to be entrepreneurial. That's important for both church leaders and entrepreneurs. And, entrepreneurs need discipleship if their contributions are going to truly unlock kingdom outcomes.
It's the active presence of entrepreneurs in the church that can fuel the move toward a more entrepreneurial church. Without them, it's like trying to have an athletic team without athletes, or a band without musicians.
Want your church to be more entrepreneurial? You have to rub shoulders with entrepreneurs and give them space to meaningfully contribute.
