Culture is the complex whole of knowledge, belief, art, ethics, custom, and probably many other elements in which we live and breath and have our being. Every organization has a culture, intentional or otherwise, and that means your church has a culture too.
These days successful business leaders are very intentional about their culture. We in churchworld should be so too, but often we are not. Don’t know why that is, perhaps because it takes hard work and sustained effort over a long period of time.
Creating a culture of leadership is even harder. As in a lot harder. That’s because it’s about so many things that are difficult to get right, like influence, motivation, inspiration, service. But creating a leadership culture in your parish, or any organization you lead, will make all the difference in the success of your organization.
Here are a few elements that can contribute to a great culture you can begin building.
Authenticity
Know your values, and live them well because they are who you are. Make sure everyone on your team understands those values too. Be yourself and be the best you, you can be. And be distinctive about it too. Your look, ethos, creativity should really reflect you.
Commitment
Believe in what you are doing and commit to it wholeheartedly. If you don’t believe in your church, ministry, or current work, stop doing it and do something else instead. 100% belief in what you are doing will put you and your team in an incredibly strong place and at a distinct advantage in view of whatever obstacles or competition you might encounter. It will also drive your decisions in the right way, keep you focused, and create an incredible bond with your teammates.
Service
To create a leadership culture you have to be raising up leaders who are true servants, and seek first to serve, not to be served. Service that is truly selfless should be at the heart of your whole parish culture.
Vision
To create and maintain a culture of leadership there is nothing more important than vision. It is about being a part of something bigger than yourself, and if you’re working in a church you must be about something bigger than yourself. Nothing is more interesting and contagious than being part of a team that shares a great vision.
