Structure Is A Loose Term

Advertising agencies always take into account how a business is structured before they launch their innovative campaign that will thrust said company to the very top. Right? Or at least they should. Picture this: Company X fully understands how local people feel, is locally minded and wants what local people want. But in reality, X is just one in thousands of satellite branches operating under a larger company based out of eastern China that few locals could even pronounce. X’s local campaign would be an epic failure. In the very least, let’s agree that structure matters.

In the past decade, church structure has become synonymous with church politics. It has taken on the connotation of a necessary evil, something to be dealt with quickly and soon forgotten. I am of the opinion that instead of sweeping the framework under the pews, churches should use it to their advantage. What CEO would be willing to sit down and discuss their business ideas over coffee? What division executive would make themself available all hours of the night? Unlike the typical business, a church’s structure gives them a highly personal, attractive disposition. At least it can.

Seth Godin, an entrepreneur, author, and creative in his own right posted a link on his blog to the below diagram created by Emmanual Cornet.[1] Godin goes on to question if companies hold on too tightly to an organizational model that relies on geography.[2] Do these ancient structures help or hinder their enterprises? Does the church’s ancient structure propel their message forward or confuse its efforts?

How would you diagram your church’s structure? Maybe the main speaker resides in his office from nine to five as a figurehead, with opinions trickling down through the hierarchy until they reach the average member whom rarely has input into the decision making process. He would be an Amazon® subscriber. Perhaps ideas and criticisms are openly invited from every direction. This MacBook® user is accessible but probably sleep deprived.

Several churches have adopted a very loose organizational arrangement, having satellite sites that operate entirely independently from the original location. New internet campuses have begun to pop up in churches with memberships ranging from just a few hundred to mega-churches that reach thousands on any given Sunday. They may have a physical location, but a person sitting in their bed at 11 p.m. in Austin can be catching up on their old church’s 9 a.m. service in San Diego. As advertisers, how do you market this? Who is the target audience? Should pastors change their message in order to be relevant to the masses listening via podcast or focus on the warm bodies sitting right in front of them?

Structure will affect both the message and religious climate itself. While having a Facebook® like web might be attractive to a younger generation, it lacks the leadership that some audiences crave. And although Google® does a great job of getting any and all information to its users, its practicality in a church setting may be limited. Each model has its strengths and weaknesses. Likewise, advertising campaigns have a specific niche within all of them. You must mold structure to work with your church in order to propel your message forward and connect with people on a level that works for them.

[1] http://www.bonkersworld.net/2011/06/27/organizational-charts/

[2] http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2011/09/getting-serious-about-your-org-chart.html