Entrepreneurial orientation and church performance in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Jakarta

Abstract

Encompassing the cities of Jakarta, Bekasi, and Tangerang, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Jakarta has existed in Indonesia for more than 200 years. Yet Roman Catholics make up less than 3% of the population there. To achieve their objectives, local parish priests need to act not only as religious leaders, but also as business managers. Guided by the theoretical framework of entrepreneurial orientation, interviews with 19 priests in the Archdiocese of Jakarta reveal how they have employed entrepreneurial techniques to improve their church's performance in terms of social outreach in a predominantly Muslim nation. Demonstrating the importance of such behavior for nonprofit organizations that operate in inimical environments, their experiences offer guidance to managers and practitioners who conduct operations in similar situations.