Even Buddhist temples are hurting

I just came across a news article on the BBC site, Hard Times for Japan's Temples. The migration of population from rural to urban areas, and increasing secularization of society are resulting in smaller temples experiencing shortages in funding.

The news correspondent ends the piece with some interesting questions, and responses from the monk featured:

If running a temple was a business, did not he need to adopt the newest sales techniques that others were using to build their brand?

He looked at me, smiled and then explained that in his view Buddhism should not have to be like that...

But what about innovation, I asked him. Isn't there more you could be doing to get people to use the temple?

He turned around and pointed at two benches sitting on the tatami mats in front of the icons and the candles.

"Look," he said, "in my grandfather's day those would never have been allowed, but I'm innovating. People here are getting older, too old to kneel, but now I've put these in so some can sit while they pray."

Here in Southeast Alaska, it's not Buddhist temples, but churches of all denominations that are experiencing similar problems. As crass as it may sound, the drive for more church members and attendance is driven at least in part (if not largely in part) by the need to fund the churches. More members and more attendance usually brings in more money. That's not very different from the temples featured in the article above.

So I have questions: Are churches a business? How proper and necessary is it for churches to adopt business methods? To what extent is the survival of a physical church necessary? How can churches innovate without becoming crass?

Perhaps a better question is this: How can churches operate their missions without becoming slaves to money?