A press release from Blackbaud, Inc., popped up on Twitter this morning:
Charleston, S.C. (Feb. 3, 2009) – Blackbaud, Inc. (Nasdaq: BLKB) today announced that The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) will partner with the company on a multi-year project to change the organization’s strategic approaches to constituent relationship management, financial management, and online collaboration. With the aid of Blackbaud’s solutions and services, the LCMS will develop new business processes, procedures, and information systems to support a holistic view of the constituent.
John H replied over Twitter, “First time I’ve heard of CRM standing for constituent relationship management.” True, because the C in CRM usually stands for customer.
Are the members of the LCMS now customers? What of the congregations?
The Gospel certainly doesn’t forbid Christians from using accounting software, but I wouldn’t classify the relationship between pastor and parishioner or those who go to Synod churches and Synod as a business relationship. The right-hand kingdom is certainly absent from that. CRM is usually about converting sales contacts to revenue by selling solutions the individual thinks he needs. How does that translate to our situation, where “we do not know what to pray for as we ought?” (Romans 8:26)
“Conversion” in sales lingo means a wholly different thing than in faith lingo. Are my instincts off? Does this seem a bit strange?
Wikipedia has more information on what CRM software does.
The LC-MS is only and ever a left-hand kingdom business. It is not “The Church” but a business created wholly in the left hand kingdom. It is supposed to benefit and help identify parts of “The Church,” but these days that’s a crap shoot.
I wouldn’t blame that on using CRM systems tho.
(Dan: At his seminary) In my limited experience, student financial accounts, donations, prospective student records are tracked. I expect it is far more than that.
Your instincts are going to be right on target. Mark my words, if we turn to business models, we have to track our sales leads. Why not the software to measure the matrix?
The Blackbaud press release says, “The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod is one of the largest Christian denominations in North America…”
Really?
The last I checked, the LCMS barely made the top ten. The LCMS trails after the Roman Catholics, Southern Baptists, United Methodists, the LDS(!), the ELCA, the Church of God, the PCUSA, the National Baptists, the Assemblies of God, and perhaps the Episcopal Church USA. In fact, if Ablaze! keeps working so well, the LCMS will fall off the top ten list by in a couple years.
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/snark
Hey, at least it isn’t Google they’re partnering with!
/snark off
Because as a synod, we’ve just got all this money lying around. Gotta spend it on something.
I meant metrics not matrix… one of these days I’ll learn how to type!
I think I read something similar in a book recently about the way business models were changing. Something about postmodern business models being group oriented, and people becoming consumers, and collaboration. I remember: it was Dr. Veith’s book “Postmodern Times: A Christian Guide to Contemporary Thought and Culture.” I guess the church is being sucked into that too.