I suppose I'm skipping what could be a part 1 to this post: Cultivating & Developing Culture. However, I'll just assume that you are in a church, team, or organization that has intentionally developed your working culture - your ethos. I think the second largest, looming danger after not being intentional to develop culture is assuming that it will simply continue to exist.
Wrong.There are a number of essential cultural attributes around Granger Community Church. Culture that was established 24+ years ago when the church first began.Things like...
- Mission-focused
- Laser. Uncompromising. This is who we are. We are intent on "helping people take their next step toward Christ... together."
- Volunteer-based
- Volunteers own the ministry. They make it happen. They leverage their gifts, personality, time, talent and resources to bring up there down here.
- Leadership and team
- Leaders lead. Gifted leaders. We do what we do in team. Together.
- Change
- It happens. In our culture - so we'll respond to it. We'll create change that only happens by initiative, because the mission is that critical and people too important and the Kingdom too urgent.
- Can-do
- We say "yes," then ask "how?"
Culture like this seems like a pipe dream to many. But it's lived out at Granger because people carry the vision deeply. Even so, culture like this doesn't just happen. It won't live on it's own. It's not true just because the front guy says it's true. It must be maintained and modeled.
So,
- what seems obvious gets said aloud over and over
- redirecting to core values and shared mission happens in casual conversations and formal meetings
- recasting of vision addresses complaints and potential gossip
- culture is modeled by volunteers and staff alike
What defines your culture? What and who is protecting it? Who is empowered to model it?
