Organization - Church Style

As I sat in church on Sunday, I have to admit my mind wandered. How to grow my business was heavy on my mind and I was wondering what I could do at the church that might increase my business. Then it hit me, a church can be one of the most organized places you might encounter, at least in the world where I grew up.


For more than 20 years, my family attended Franklin Presbyterian Church in Franklin, VA and I have very vivid memories of the church kitchen, one of which was eating the leftover communion bread that my grandfather made (YUM!). Every item in that kitchen had a home and the cupboards were completely labeled inside AND out! They had to be. Think of how many different people have to function in the space – ladies of the church, youth groups, scout groups, the pastor when he wants a cup of coffee. You know what they say about too many cooks in the kitchen! But if you have a storage system in place, it can work seamlessly no matter who works in the kitchen, assuming that everything is returned where it belongs. About a year and a half ago I returned to my childhood church for my father’s memorial service. Despite the sadness of the occasion, there was a certain comfort in being able to walk into the kitchen and easily being able to find a cup or a serving spoon.

So what’s the lesson here? There are several. Having homes for your items is necessary to eliminate chaos. If you label your storage locations even complete strangers (or your mother-in-law) can find things in your house. Finally, having a well-organized space can be calming, and apparently bring up found memories of church kitchens when you should be paying attention to the sermon!