Scaling a business is clean compared to scaling a ministry. In business, consumer demand is the wind in the scaling sail. Get the product right, and consumer demand will fill the sail. The business grows locally because of increased demand, or the business can franchise itself to enter other markets.

That’s not to say that scaling is inevitable in a business. A business owner must want to scale. And a business owner has to juggle the job of running the business with the job of scaling. Of course that also means juggling the financing of the business with the financing of the scaling. Even in the most profitable business, bootstrapping is rare. Investors, venture capitalists, or a simple bank can provide the funds to manage the jump from a solo entrepreneur to a business that grows.

But how does scale happen in a ministry like Resilient Recovery Ministries?

I’ve been worried about one of the houses where I conduct Resilient Recovery Groups. At one time, things were going so well that the owner volunteered to financially support the ministry. That felt great!

What hasn’t felt so great is the way the group has gone for the last 4 -6 weeks. First COVID hit the home and I was unable to see my peeps for two weeks. When the COVID outbreak passed, something had changed.

The group was in disarray—fractured and full of anger at the staff.