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I have no experience running a church.

I have no business experience thus far. But I have seen and observed how things happen. There are several key stages that can make or break a business.

Usually, a small church of under 200 regular attendees would have few problems. The management decisions are carried out quickly, there usually is harmony among members because there are fewer “groups” of vocal people. Financially, they are usually struggling but they are still able to manage to pay their bills and pastors. Everything seems good and dandy with the current setting.

A mega church on the other hand have over 2000 people attending regularly week-in week-out. Their ministries are well planned out, and just like a big multinational corporation, they got their departments with different leaders in charge. This setting is my favourite, where everything seems organised and well planned. Mega churches have their problems too, but not as big as what I am about to point out.

Let’s say you have 200 – 800 people attending your church. You are neither big nor small. You don’t receive the “support” or shelter that you used to receive back then when you were smaller. You are not as respected nor organised as a reputable Mega church. You face problems like power struggle, finances for expansion, differing points of views, different sets of beliefs as your new members bring in their old culture and traditional beliefs. Keeping the congregation united is your main focus point now.

When you look back at your past, you see a nice graph showing how you grew from a handful to your current amount. God “tells” you that He has greater plans for you and that you should think Bigger (ala Donald Trump). Your enthusiasm reaches a climax and you’re on top of the world. What you are doing now seems to be working (for the Glory of God).

The leap from 800 to a “mega church” seem steep, but doable. You seem to have a plan, but there are lots of skepticism and doubters holding you back. You bring out your calculator, and compute the percentage growth over the past x years, and project that .. hmm… you might hit a million people in 15 years! You get even more excited.

As a sign of respect, I will not name names. I have seen at least 2 churches in the Klang Valley who got stuck in this “period of accelerated growth” but never moved on. The numbers even dwindled due to certain factions and the “lucifers of the church”. Don’t get me wrong, even big churches like DUMC and SIBKL had their problems when going BIG. Lucky for them, their gamble paid off.

What went wrong for those who failed?

1. Disunity. As numbers grow, more ideas pour in. While that is good, effective people management is vital to your survival.

2. Leadership. Leaders must be brought back to reality; either through failure, or just a BIG bizarre incident. When my friends and I play 9 ball pool, you feel a sense of invincibility once you made a golden break on the first rack. You are on cloud 9, and enjoy this euphoric feeling. Often times, your latter stages will see a dip in performance. As I like to say, “You have just run out your quota of luck, for the day~!!”

3. From Vision to Action Plan. I don’t dispute your visions from God. All I am asking for is that you provide a strategic plan to follow through. It is also good that your members know the framework and timeframe of what you plan to execute. Get people involved, and don’t sideline the big fish. Once you shut out the most talkative or “creative” dude due to personal ego clashes, it will severely hurt you. Not now, but maybe in the future.

4. Money. Money drives a business. Cash flow is like blood in your arteries.. no flow, you die. Have a plan. Blind faith is a risky proposition in light of the current economic climate. Be realistic, yet have faith.

What factors influence those who succeeded?

1. Good core. Don’t be shy to pick your people and leadership team. Put good people in charge of areas of their speciality.

2. Worship team. The core of the church business is good music. Good music to glorify the Lord. You fix that, you’re set.

3. Don’t mention too much about money. Yes, you are in need. But just have faith that God will provide. The less you force this issue, the easier money will flow.

4. Cell church. Everyone is doing it, you should too! Make sure the groups are small. Make sure there is fellowship, follow up so that people feel wanted. As a target, members should meet 3 times a week or 13 times a month. The usual Sunday gathering, the cell group plus one more activity. Have sports, movie watching, it all depends on your demographics.

After everything has been said and done, the most important factor, I believe, is that the leadership must keep in check with reality. Be open to suggestions and opinions, and you should be set. Part A of your plan might have succeeded, but don’t be too cocky too soon!

(** all views are personal and does not reflect the views of any individual or organisations affiliated with Philip Khor. You are welcomed to comment.  **)

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