The Economist magazine has just posted (from its print edition of December 20, 2005) an article it calls "Jesus CEO: America's most successful churches are modelling themselves on businesses."
The article is about so-called megachurches, what they owe to business models, and what businesses are learning from them: "The corporate theme is not just a matter of appearances. Willow Creek has a mission statement (“to turn irreligious people into fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ”) and a management team, a seven-step strategy and a set of ten core values. The church employs two MBAs—one from Harvard and one from Stanford—and boasts a consulting arm. It has even been given the ultimate business accolade: it is the subject of a Harvard Business School case-study."
Don't expect a roadmap to church growth, but you might be interested in the article's comments about the cultural trends megachurches understand. To read more: click here.
Posted by mbarlowe at February 24, 2006 05:06 PM