When church leaders treat the church as an organization instead of the family of God …

Many church leaders are taught — or choose — to lead their local churches as if they were organizations, rather than the body of Christ or the family of God. This mindset shifts priorities away from biblical leadership and introduces secular models that are incompatible with God’s design for His church. The consequences of running a local church like an organization are not minor; they are profoundly detrimental, affecting spiritual health, biblical discipleship, and the church’s witness to the world.

Here are ten ways in which church leaders lead as if the church is an organization and the specific damage it causes:

1. Organizational hierarchy instead of biblical eldership. Many church leadership influencers promote organizational-style hierarchy, where a single pastor functions as a CEO, rather than recognizing the biblical model of a plurality of elders (Titus 1:5, 1 Peter 5:1-3). This structure places decision-making power in the hands of one individual, which undermines the biblical principle of shared leadership. The absence of collaborative eldership weakens accountability and creates an environment where leadership can become one-sided, leading to potential abuse of power and burnout.

2. Prioritizing numbers over spiritual growth. Some churches measure success through attendance, budgets, and building expansions instead of biblical discipleship (Matthew 28:19-20). This results in shallow faith, consumer-driven Christianity, and a neglect of actual spiritual maturity.

3. Viewing church members and visitors as customers or employees. Churches that emphasize programs, branding, and engagement strategies often treat their members and visitors as consumers to be retained or volunteers to be used. Instead of shepherding souls (Acts 20:28), this leads to transactional relationships where people feel spiritually neglected and disposable.

4. Adopting secular leadership trends. Bringing in leadership strategies from corporate bestsellers rather than grounding leadership in scripture results in a culture of performance, competition, and self-promotion rather than humble, Christlike service (Philippians 2:3-5).

5. Running the church as a nonprofit organization. Some church leaders rely on organization-minded strategies for sustainability and decision-making rather than biblical principles of faith, stewardship, and dependence on God. This often shifts priorities toward financial security over faithfulness scripture, compromising biblical convictions to appease donors or maintain revenue streams.

6. Turning worship into a production. Churches that model their worship services after entertainment industries — complete with stage lighting, polished performances, and scripted experiences — diminish authentic, Christ-centered worship (John 4:24). This creates passive spectators rather than engaged worshipers.

7. Replacing discipleship with leadership development programs. While leadership training is valuable, replacing biblical discipleship with secular leadership programs shifts the focus away from growing in Christlikeness and toward worldly ambition (Colossians 2:8). This produces leaders who are skilled but spiritually immature.

8. Overloading the church with institutional bureaucracy. Excessive policies, committees, and procedures can suffocate ministry, replacing Spirit-led guidance with rigid organizational control (Galatians 5:16-18). This discourages initiative and hinders the church’s ability to respond to needs effectively.

9. Marketing the church instead of preaching the gospel. Some churches prioritize crafting a trendy, appealing brand to attract people rather than boldly preaching the full counsel of God (2 Timothy 4:2-4). This often results in diluted doctrine, avoiding hard biblical truths in favor of feel-good messages.

10. Treating church discipline as a PR issue. Churches that avoid addressing sin biblically (Matthew 18:15-17) to maintain their public image create environments where unrepentant sin festers. This weakens the church’s witness and damages its members spiritually.

Leading a local church as an organization rather than the family of God or body of Christ leads to spiritual decline, compromised doctrine, and a lack of genuine discipleship. Church leaders must resist the pressure to adopt organizational methodologies and instead embrace the biblical model of shepherding God’s people with humility, faithfulness, and a commitment to the authority of Scripture.

Scotty