In the book Good to Great and The Social Sectors Jim Collins makes the case that greatness is a framework that belongs to both business and the social sectors.  He writes that his “Good to Great” principles do indeed work in the social sectors even better than he anticipated.  He continues to relate five questions that are often raised by the social sector and those five questions he turns into five issues or topics that form the book’s message (Kindle location 39).  It is my sense that the five issues are indeed important and that they would definitely assist non-business entities in their pursuit of greatness.  However, as they relate to the church, I have some serious questions.  Not because the author’s five issues do not apply, but because I wonder if the church has ears to hear!  It is my thesis that the church has experienced such a commodification of culture that it is blind to the Great Commission mission.

The first issue, “DEFINING “GREAT”— CALIBRATING SUCCESS WITHOUT BUSINESS METRICS” is too often neglected by the church (Kindle Location 52).  Even if a church selects a mission other than the Great Commission, few churches have done the rigorous work of defining success is some meaningful way that serves as an accountable standard.  It gets worse!  The author states, “In business, money is both an input (a resource for achieving greatness) and an output (a measure of greatness). In the social sectors, money is only an input, and not a measure of greatness” (Kindle Locations 75-76).  I couldn’t agree more!  But the church does not often agree!  Though most churches may not measure success by counting dollars, they do measure success by assessing that which they own that can only be purchased and expanded with dollars!  Primarily buildings.  Of course it is not so openly stated but behind the smiles and nods that affirm a church is too often the acknowledgment that the growth in terms of numbers and the campus to accommodate the numbers is a sign of success.

The second issue is “LEVEL 5 LEADERSHIP— GETTING THINGS DONE WITHIN A DIFFUSE POWER STRUCTURE” (Kindle Location 118).  Collins defines his point by saying that level five leadership is making sure the right things get done regardless the pain or cost to popularity to accomplish the mission (kindle location 159).  I really like this section and I believe that Collins reflects humility as a key characteristic of leadership.  This issue is absolutely applicable in to church leadership.  However, if humility includes servanthood, then too often top echelon leaders in the church are absent as servants.  In consulting with many church boards, I have asked board members about their ministry.  Almost without fail they view their decision making process as their key ministry and they seldom identify activities that could be categorized as servant activities.

The third issue is “getting the right people on the bus” (Kindle location 173).  One phenomena that I have observed often is that the church selects successful business people to be leaders in the church regardless their track record of following Jesus.  Unfortunately they are heralded as a boon to the church but too often they bring business acumen that focuses on the bottom line more than the mission of the church.  Arguably, the mission of many churches could be campus expansion if one looks at how the vast majority of dollars are spent, all the result of decisions of many who are business experts serving on the board.  If making disciples is one characteristic of good church leadership, then how many board members would remain after that standard was applied?

The fourth issue is the hedgehog concept which is being relentless to say no to anything that does not clearly contribute to mission success.  The “mall church” which tries to offer something for everyone is the worst example of violating the hedgehog concept.  Admittedly, I am biased towards the Great Commission as being very important in the church.  If it can be listed as one of the more important ministries of the church, then I posit that too many churches are trying to do way too many things which detracts critical resources from Great Commission ministries.  I particularly make this point in light of the author’s point about being passionate about core values (Kindle location 266).  The Great Commission is a core value in the church and one deserving of passion.  If George Barna’s research is to be believed, he finds that a very high percentage of churches are not making disciples, even those who include strong disciple making verbiage in their mission statement!*

The fifth issue is about building momentum the can overcome the challenges of leadership change.  This is a difficult issue for the “successful” church.  Too often a church experiences a significant set back if a strong, charismatic leader leaves.  Collins encourages “clock building” which means doing the long laborious work of ”— shaping a strong, self-sustaining organization that can prosper beyond any single programmatic idea or visionary leader” (Kindle location 357-8).

All five issues are clearly identified and valuable in the social sector and they are valuable in the church.  Too often the church does not wrestle with these key issues to its own detriment.

Collins, Jim (2011-09-27). Good To Great And The Social Sectors: A Monograph to Accompany Good to Great (Kindle Location 52). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.

* George Barna, Growing True Disciples (Colorado Springs, CO: Waterbrook Press, 2001).