In the Business of Building God鈥檚 Kingdom
Do business and ministry have anything in common? Perhaps a better question is: should they? Some may assume that these two fields are in opposition to one another with seemingly different goals and values. But as two 杏吧原版 MBA students recently discovered through a class consulting project, having effective business practices is not only valuable to the Church—it’s essential in pushing its mission forward.
A Real-World Consulting Project
NU’s management consulting course, developed by Dr. Rowlanda Cawthon and taught by Dr. Larry Walker, provides MBA students the opportunity to participate in a complex, eight-week consulting project where they gain practical, hands-on experience working with a client. Instead of a traditional weekly lecture, students spend the duration of the course acting as consultants to identify and assess a real-world challenge that their client is facing. Through extensive meetings, research, and interviews with their client, they diagnose the challenge and present recommendations that the client can implement.
“Students learn the art of collaboration, project management, as well as analysis and presentation skills through this course,” says Dr. Cawthon. “They must develop a real-world client-consultant relationship, and the goal is for their client to eventually adopt the students’ recommendations.”
Students Justin Santiago and Carlee Rowell partnered up for this project and chose Venture Church as their client. Justin, who also attends Venture Church, expressed that he wanted an opportunity to provide value in a mission-oriented environment that aligned with his faith.
The problem they identified related to leadership training and staff roles at Venture. “We learned that some employees are likely not in the right positions,” Justin explains. “So we created recommendations around head count redistribution and a reorganization of staff that will hopefully lead to stronger employee satisfaction and retention—and ultimately, employees walking in their true God-given giftings and strengths.”
Good Business Equals Good Culture Equals Good People
Why might this work be significant in a church environment? For both Carlee and Justin, it comes down to people and culture.
Justin says: “Good onboarding and training programs for church staff and leaders ultimately lead to a good workplace culture, which is vital these days. Your staff will understand their responsibilities and be happier in their roles if the culture is great.”
Carlee agrees with her project partner’s sentiment and adds: “Organization and clarity are vital to successfully running any type of operation—whether it’s a company, nonprofit, or church. We learned this lesson quickly from our research and interviews. It’s necessary to maintain good business practices to maintain good people. Afterall, people are any company’s most valuable resource.”
Long-Lasting Impact
While Justin and Carlee’s time in the management consulting course may have concluded, the experience was transformative for both students.
Carlee describes how much she appreciated the connections she made through this course: “The most rewarding part of this project was the developed connections. I learned so much from my project partner, my professor, the client, and all of those we interviewed. It is always inspiring to hear from people who are passionate about their work and continually looking to improve.”
Justin even adds: “This is probably the most impactful class you’ll take in the MBA program.”
And the impact is not just limited to the students. Their work is already making a difference at Venture Church. Pastor Christian Lindbeck, who is the executive pastor and chief of staff at Venture, had this to say about the overall experience:
“The work Justin and Carlee produced was not only thorough but also exhaustive in its depth. Often, the work produced by students as part of a class project can be underdeveloped or too specialized to be practically deployed within an organization. However, in this case, both Justin and Carlee produced highly valuable work that we will undoubtedly be implementing. Thank you to 杏吧原版 for the investment in these two stellar leaders and the significant impact they will make at Venture Church.”
If you are a current or aspiring business professional looking to level up your management consulting and leadership skills, the 杏吧原版 MBA program might be exactly what you need. Learn more about our enrollment process on our Master of Business Administration webpage.