The staff meeting started like most others. Coffee in hand, laptops out, the church’s leadership team gathered around a long table. On paper, things looked good. Sunday attendance had ticked up. The church social media account showed steady engagement. The fall festival drew nearly 1000 people. “Business” looked good! The youth minister shared plans for giveaways and a new sermon series designed to “attract young families.” The Senior Pastor added, “Along with the sermon series, maybe we should do another big giveaway like we did last year. Maybe a kayak this time to attract more men to the church.”

Kathy, the church secretary, shifted in her seat. When it was her turn, she spoke gently. “I know we want to grow. But should we be doing all this? It feels like we’re operating a business instead of a church. We spend more time planning promotions than we spend with congregants. We give away gift cards, but we don’t even know who’s missing from the pews.”

The room fell quiet for a moment. Then the pastor smiled. “That’s fair,” he said. “But the church does have business aspects. We’re trying to reach people. And to do that, we need to think strategically.” No one challenged him. The meeting moved on.