Leadership requires vision, but to accomplish that vision there has to be a proven strategy in...
Your Culture is Shaped by Your Values
Every church has priorities they believe are more important than anything else. These values shape the culture of a church. Culture is critical, it’s huge, it’s what every single person that walks through the doors of your church will feel and experience (including you). So here are a few things I’ve learned along the way about culture:
1. The culture you think you have may not be what people actually experience.
Are the values you and your team believe in the most actually shaping the culture of your church, or are they good ideas that haven’t been activated? In other words, are your values aspirational or actual?
Aspirational values are the ones we put on our website, what we want to be. They’re the best case scenario. They’re the ones we talk about when we’re trying to inspire people. They’re idealistic but many times not realistic. What’s real, what your culture actually is - that’s what people experience in your parking lot, in your atrium, in your children’s ministry, in your auditorium. Yes, they pick up on culture from the platform, but they feel it based on how they’re treated by you, your team, your volunteers, and the person sitting next to them. No pressure.
2. Culture starts with the lead pastor.
This isn’t something you delegate, it’s something you live. It comes from the Lead Pastor, to the staff, to your small group leaders and volunteer teams, and then to guests. If the entire staff doesn’t embrace and embody it, the guests walking through your doors definitely won’t feel it. (Lead pastors, ask yourself, “Do the people closest to me know what we’re trying to do?”)
3. A healthy culture takes a lot of work.
Healthy culture takes constant reinforcement. It’s the result of intentional language, behavioral patterns, and expressed values modeled by leadership and implemented at every level of the organization. Vision leaks, so look for ways to champion your values and celebrate the culture when you see it in action. Pro tip: Share stories of staff or members of your church who are living it out!
When I started Milestone Church, I had a vision to develop the men in our area. Now, more than 20 years later, we have men who come to our church looking for development because they heard they could find that here. It's incredible. But, being known for something doesn't start with a program you built, a message you preached, or a book you wrote. That vision started long before the church did; it started when I became willing to receive development myself. In order to create a culture that reproduces what you value, those characteristics you want to see have to be values in your own life.
The more established a value is in your own life, the more you will see it reproduced in your culture.
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