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Seven Things Churches Do Better Than Anyone Else

Written By Timothy Fish

Published 5/3/2009

I’ve heard people say that churches are five years behind the times, usually in reference to the current state of technology. We just don’t think of churches as cutting edge. We might see a technology become available and the business world will latch onto it, but churches wait a while. When they do decide to use it, they aren’t sure what to do with it. We might be led to believe that churches just aren’t as good at doing things as businesses. With that in mind, I came up with seven things at which churches are second to none. As you read these, I ask you to keep in mind that not all churches are doing these, but when they are, there is no other organization that can hold a candle to what they are able to do.

1. Reach the Lost and Make Disciples

At first, it may seem obvious that churches are better at reaching the lost and making disciples than any other organization. That is what churches were commissioned to do, but when we look at some of the other religious organizations out there, we might wonder. Take the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, for example. They have reported a great number of professions of faith. The numbers are impressive and we certainly don’t want to take away from that, but even those numbers can’t compete with the effectiveness of the local churches. Pick a church, any church, and poll the active members. How many of the active members were saved as a result of the efforts of the local church and how many were saved because of the result of the efforts of an organization that isn’t associated with a local church? Even when an organization, such as a medical ministry, goes into an area and seeks hundreds come to Christ, the people who are saved later as a result of the work of the local churches started in the area quickly exceed those saved through the efforts of the original workers.

2. Train Public Speakers

There was a time when I looked into Toastmasters, an organization committed to helping people become better public speakers. I compared it what I had learned as a teenager when I was attending the Youth in the Harvest in the local association our church was in and the experience I have gained by teaching Sunday school classes, chairing a committee, etc. and I could see no value added by that organization that I couldn’t gain through normal church service. I don’t mean to say that I am some kind of a great speaker, but when we consider both the number of people who have learned handle public speaking through church, even if only through praying publicly, as well the quality of the best speakers, the church experience is second to none.

3. Train Musicians

I watch American Idol and one of the things I have noticed is the number of contestants who make it to the final rounds having begun their music career singing in churches. Many churches have gotten away from choral music and ensembles in favor of less inclusive praise bands, but so often we have seen a kid join the church choir without the ability to carry a tune in a bucket and through the help of the people around him he learns to read music and sing on key. An instrumentalist might have a desire to learn to play an instrument at home, but it kicks it up another notch when the music director calls and asks her to play on Sunday. In churches, we find musical talent that rivals or exceeds the musical skill of some of the best musicians in the world. More than that, we find musicians who wouldn’t be musicians at all if they hadn’t been encouraged to join the choir, or play an instrument, or help with a musical production.

4. Care for the Poor and Needy

So many times when disaster strikes, the first boots on the ground aren’t those of military personnel or those of disaster relief organizations, but those of church members from a local church in the area or a nearby town. A short time later, it maybe farther away. While the big organization are still coordinating their plan of action, a few churches have seen the need and they are already distributing food and water, providing shelter for the displaced. Their resources are much more limited, but they are ready to do what they can.

But it isn’t just with the big disasters as well. On more than one occasion, I have seen member of a Sunday school class mention a need of another class member, such as means of transportation to work, and before the class was over, someone had offered to provide a used car, another had offered to buy new tires for it, someone else had offered to get any repairs done that were needed to get it in good working order. What other organization can you think of that would give a person a car, buy groceries, or make a house payment, for a needy person, without the person asking and without expecting anything in return?

5. Produce Ethical Individuals

These days, businesses spend millions of dollars on ethics training for their employees. Their goal is to keep their employees from stealing from them and to reduce the risk of lawsuits as a result of their employees treating other people and companies unfairly. Ethics training at a company might be one hour a year, but churches are teaching their members and guests how they should behave around other people every time they open their doors. It’s working too. Christian church members are an example to their non-christian co-workers.

6. Create Lasting Friendships

At the time of creation, God only said “not good” once. Everything else was good, but he said that it isn’t good for man to be alone. Since that time, people have always been looking for strong friendships and companionship. We don’t like to be alone and we search for ways to be with people. We develop friendships, but nothing compares to the friendships with develop with our fellow church members.

I won’t give the name, to protect the guilty, but know of a man who was involved with one of these community service organizations—some kind of lodge. Every weekend for many years he attended their meetings, raised money and supported their cause. The man died. Not one of his buddies from the lodge bothered to attend the funeral and buy his respects to the man’s widow. They didn’t even send a card. How different it is when we see church members go to the hospital when someone is having surgery, or attend the funeral of a loved one. I have seen church buildings filled to capacity for the funeral of an active church member.

7. Prepare People for Leadership

The business world doesn’t train leaders. They try sometimes. They might have a mentoring program or they might send recent college hires through some type of training program, but they don’t produce great leaders. The ones who succeed after participating in these programs are the ones who have a will or a natural talent to be leaders.

Churches are in the business of making new leaders. The great commission tells us to go out and make disciples. You can’t make disciples if you aren’t a leader. Unlike a business, churches aren’t looking to raise up a few good men to lead their workers, churches are looking to train all of their people to be leaders. Sermons and small group lessons are geared toward teaching men and women to lead their families in worship or to lead the lost to Jesus. Churches can take a person with few leadership skills and with God’s help, mold him to be a great leader.