Social enterprises are social mission driven projects which trade/sale goods or services ultimately to benefit a social purpose like a church or ministry. The need to deliver on financial, social and environmental performance targets is often referred to as having a triple bottom line. The profit or surplus from the business is used to support related or unrelated social aims often creating sustainability for a nonprofit program. Using this model, churches and ministries will not have to depend entirely on donations and grants to support the ministry. Often we will hear ministry leaders complain that they feel like full-time beggars. This model will create a source of income to help with that problem.

 The Bridge has identified one opportunity for churches and ministries that has the potential to benefit both families in your community and your ministry. You could consider starting a Christian preschool that could even grow into a new Christian school at a later time. A recent discussion with an Atlanta Christian school director discovered that their school was covering all expenses and writing a check to the church that sponsored them for over $20,000 every month. Now that is a real partnership in social enterprise and ministry support.

Most churches continue to use the last century model of part-time preschool within their church when the facts demonstrate that over 85% of the mothers in America are working and need longer hours of care for their children. If given a choice in a Christian preschool and a secular preschool, most parents, Christian or not, want and trust a Christian preschool for their child if they can find it.

What better way to reach young families in your community, grow your church membership, use some vacant church space and create a monthly supplemental income to help with ministry needs than to start a new full-day preschool to help working parents and children.

The Bridge has developed a consulting package to help you with this plan. If you do not have the space within your building but have some land to create a Family Life center, we can also help you in this plan. This social enterprise has the potential to reach many new families for Christ and offer a valuable service in the process.

Contact the Bridge and let us know if you are interested in discussing a Bridge School to help support your ministries. This is just another way to generate new support for your church, nonprofit work.