Presenting: Loving Cultures Ministries

When people gather, they create culture. The culture is the atmosphere or the “feel” of a community or group, and every group has one. For instance, some churches are warm and friendly while others are cold and uninviting. While culture has been a buzzword in the business world for more than a decade, the church has been committed to creating a Christ-like atmosphere since Pentecost. In Acts 2, we find an atmosphere of extravagant generosity as new believers in Christ “shared everything they had.” (Acts 2: 44)

To develop a healthy church culture is to intentionally agree how we will live and work together as we pay close attention to whether our actions match our words. Culture is pervasive and affects everyone. A unique culture can emerge among any group, including within a congregation. Understanding an organization’s cultural patterns makes a difference in the ability of people to work together.

As a people who’ve experienced the merciful welcome of Jesus Christ, we belong to Him and to one another. In our desire to grow deeper in our faith, stronger in our love, and more effective in our service, we’ve outlined the following ways.  The Ways are based on God’s Word and are meant to set the foundation for creating a culture or an atmosphere “thick with love.” They’re not rules or laws to be obeyed but rather the ways we train, remind, and encourage one another to be the church.

You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

(1 Corinthians 6: 19–20)

May your ways be known throughout the earth, your saving power among people everywhere. (Psalm 66: 2)

Peter Drucker (American Business Consultant/Advisor)  had a very passionate statement about Culture:

“Culture eats strategy for breakfast”

To be clear he didn't mean that strategy was unimportant – rather that a powerful and empowering culture was a surer route to organizational success.  The culture eats strategy for breakfast quote means to me that no matter how strong your strategic plan is, its effectiveness  will be held back by members of your team/congregation if they don't share the proper culture. ...Organizational culture happens, whether you work on it or not.

The Culture Wise CEO defines Culture as:

“Culture is the commonly-held set of values and principles that shows up in the everyday behavior of the people.”

In other words, no matter what a company leader says about principles and regardless of what employees tell you they value or believe, what shows up in everyone’s behavior is the best indicator of the organization’s true culture. Culture is important – it is very important. But if culture is developed outside of strategy, if it's not driven by strategy, then this culture can become little more than a very dangerous distraction.   In reality, culture does not trump strategy, rather they work together to enhance the success of one another. So what is the relationship between culture and strategy: Strategy drives focus and direction while culture is the emotional environment in which a company's strategy lives or dies.

“People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care”

Theodore Roosevelt