Building a Courageous Church Culture

Source: Brad Smith and Don Simmons

What is “culture?”

1. Something about opera and poetry.

2. What happens when something is in the refrigerator too long.

3. Something about foreign countries.

Culture is … • “V.A.B.E’s”

• Values• Assumptions• Beliefs• Expectations

• The environment of (un)conscious language, behaviors, beliefs that surrounds the work, relationships, and programs of the church.

Three Schools of Leadership

1. The cultural school.

• Emphasizes role of leaders in making sure the atmosphere of values and relationships are right-on as people serve together

Three Schools of Leadership

2. The vision school.

• Emphasizes role of leaders seeing where the group needs to go and motivating them to get there

Three Schools of Leadership

3. The management school.

• Emphasizes role of leaders in:

– making sure activities are organized

– people understand role

– there are adequate resources to accomplish the vision

Three Hats

• Culture ----- “Community”

• Vision ----- “Cause”

• Management ----- “Corporation”

1. Culture ----- Community

• How healthy are our values and relationships?

• Do we have a Christ-like process as well as a Christ-like end result?– Do the “means” and

“end” match up?

Community: Cultural Leaders

• Inspirer – moves the whole congregation

• Sage/Pastor – Discerns, guides, and cares individually in ways that affect the whole

• Prophet – sees and speaks the inconsistencies that guide others to change

2. Cause ----- Vision

• “How are we continually showing the God-given purpose and vision of the church?”

• How well do all know the big picture “calling” that unites all activities of the church?

Cause: Directional Leaders

• Visionary – reveals the need and vision to meet that need

• Engineer – creates the role clarity that matches strategic direction

• Implementer – focuses on next operational steps

3. Corporation ----- Management

• Have we built systems and provided resources so that vision is not just all talk?

• Are there clear roles for people to participate in accomplishing the vision?

Corporation: Influence Leaders

• Influencers – leads by persuading others

• Managers – matches people with roles, comes alongside throughout

• Contributors – creates observable models of excellence

Community:

“Family”

Cause:

“Army”

Corporation:

“Business”

How do we build a courageous church culture?

• By building systems that strengthen community, cause, and corporation

System Values of a Courageous Church Culture

1. Courageous Churches build courageous systems that connect and promote growth of all kinds.

2. They exude an emerging internal culture of empowerment.

3. Their results are glocal: community transformation and vision for the world.

Building Courageous Church Systems

1. Focus on a process of assimilation.

• Help guests become members, members become leaders, etc.

– Warren’s circles, 5 G’s

• People respond when they know “the steps”

Building Courageous Church Systems

2. Focus on discovering calling and gifting.

• What is God doing in this season of your life or chapter of your ministry?

Building Courageous Church Systems

3. Focus on matching and placement.

– connecting people to places of ministry

– Deploying places where people can behave their way into believing

Building Courageous Church Systems

4. Focus on an intentional process of training for ministry.

• Sharpen the saw!

Building Courageous Church Systems

5. Remember to celebrate ministry and recognize God at work through people.

– Catch people doing something right

Building Courageous Church Systems

6. Create underlying support of administration and leadership development.

The Leadership Task in Building “Culture”

• “Alignment”

1. Understanding the stated values of the church

2. Reading values of the actual practices of the church

3. Helping the church bridge any gaps between 1 & 2.

Actual Values

• What does a church actually value as evidenced by its:– actions– priorities– use of time– use of money– allocation of people– organizational structure

Stated vs. Actual Values

• Evangelism• Prayer• Discipleship• Health• Community change

• Numbers growth• Orthodoxy• Keeping folk busy• Financial security• A good reputation

Courageous leaders:

1. Assess the current culture of the church.

2. Courageously call out gaps between what we say and what we do.

3. Envision what type of culture should be created.

4. Embody that culture in a leadership team.

Embodying Courage

• Does my serving equip and involve others?– Community: Am I am member of the family?

• Do I serve according to my gifts and calling?– Cause: Am I a soldier in the army?

• Do I “in-courage” systems growth in courage? – Corporation: Do I carry on business the right way?

Strategic Questions about Courage

1. Where is the ground already prepared?• People? Felt needs? Current models to be affirmed?

2. Who should develop the change strategy?

3. Who should spearhead the change strategy and cast vision?

4. How can we translate vision into measurable goals and evaluate progress?

• Showcasing authentic examples

5. What are steps in an action plan toward those goals?

Listen to the Stories

• When people in our church talk about what we do well, what do they say, and how do they illustrate it?

– How would that change if you asked people outside of our church?

A Question …

• If our church disappeared tomorrow:

– Would anyone in the neighborhood notice?

– Would anyone in the community cry?

Building a Courageous Church Culture

Dr. John P. ChandlerThe Ray and Ann Spence Network for Congregational Leadership

www.rasnet.org

John.chandler@vbmb.orgCopy right John P. Chandler, 2004