One of the most pronounced trends in the non-profit world in the last ten years has been the number of men and women in business careers making a transition to the non-profit world. While most assumed there would be some differences in the way those two worlds operated I think many discovered they had no preparation for how different they are! Making a lateral move from business leadership to non-profit leadership was more of a shock than they knew it would be and it has taken them years to make the adjustment. Many have not made the adjustment and chosen to go back into business or join boards. The two worlds have different rules incentives values and assumptions as well as different realities.

It is only recently that I have been noticing another shift. People on staff with churches are moving into the non-profit world by establishing their own 501(c)3 organizations. In the same way they are learning that the traditional non-profit world is not the same as church. Most people would assume those worlds would be fairly similar but they are not and the differences are important.

Men and women on the staff of churches have had to learn not only about the cultural differences between churches (different language values incentives etc.) but also the unique operating principles of each.  

First church staff have typically never worked with boards. They might have been managed by a pastor or executive pastor but they have never faced the unique relationship between a governing board and an executive director. In fact the legal requirements and expectations of a non-profit governing board are far more demanding than those of a most often distant deacon body or church committee.

Second most churches have budgets and the operating budget provides the funding for the program. Staff are not responsible for raising their budget. In fact they are discouraged from doing it as that competes with the overall operating budget of the church. While many staff have learned how to raise additional money for special projects from church members they have typically not been asked to raise a whole operating budget.

Third church staff understand the politics and systems of their church. They understand the “ecosystem” of their congregation and the needs of that body. However they have very little experience in understanding the complexities and needs of the larger community. By necessity they have become expert in a well-defined organization but a community where many non-profits navigate and compete for support of all kinds is foreign to them and they do not factor in how much they will need to learn about that community.

I think this is a trend that will only increase – especially with younger staff who are uncomfortable being confined to one place and want to “make a difference” in the world. They recognize the church is not “the world” in which they want to spend their lives. They have different expectations and this is going to play out in interesting ways.