Would you like to open your next board meeting with an attention-getting challenge? Here's a suggestion—have each member grab a pen and paper and answer this question:

Is (your organization's name here) a ministry or is it a business?

The answers might surprise you.

"Of course we're a ministry" may state the pastor. "God called us into existence and we're here to do His work!" True enough.

But the attorney might counter, "Yes, but what about the legal, corporate, and financial components of our work? Don't those mean that we're a business too?" Also true.

Do your board and staff members struggle with these definitions? Does "business" denote all head and no heart? Is "ministry" perceived as all heart and no head?

Balancing Head and Heart

Some people see these two areas as mutually exclusive. They may view "ministry" as a higher calling and "business" as something, shall we say, less than spiritual. These separations are unfortunate, and could set up an organization to be motivated by good intentions, but to perform weak execution, thus delivering poor results.

The Lord gave us both a head and a heart to provide balance. Without the head's function, we'd be so taken over by mercy that we'd lack good judgment. At the same time, without a heart, our bent for justice would become harsh.

It's the same for ministry and business. Solid ministry principles and business practices compliment each other and both are vital to the health of an organization. In themselves, one is no more spiritual or secular than the other. Both are defined and blessed by God when applied as He intended.

Here are a few thoughts to consider:

Ministry Principles

• What are your ministry core values?
• How do you know if they are being expressed or accomplished?
• Do others see excellence in your work?
• Is managing your budget and staff as important as helping your clients?

Business Practices—how does your ministry prioritize:

• Disciplined planning?
• Disciplined people?
• Disciplined governance?
• Disciplined allocation of resources?

Complementary Priorities

Most of us would say that we serve our clients well. But what about other areas? Are we equally committed to send receipts to our donors in a timely way? Are we as steadfast in complying with regulations required by the IRS or state and federal government? Do we ensure that we're exhibiting the very best industry standards?

For the last several months, the Sanctity Division at Focus on the Family has been training pregnancy centers and medical clinics across the country how to operate with excellence in reaching more women at risk for abortion. In order to do so, every aspect of our work has to coalesce.

Our organizations are the most effective when we incorporate the best of both ministry and business:

"Great business practices point us toward lining up our actions with the greater mission and measuring our results along the way; holding each other accountable for following through on our commitments; uniting under a common purpose; solving problems quickly when they arise; and building up a team based on trust and respect. Well, guess what? Those are biblical principles!"

Jim Daly, President and CEO
Focus on the Family

Kim Conroy
Sanctity of Human Life Director
Focus on the Family