Church Culture

May 2012
Cracking Your Church’s

Culture Code
Seven Keys to Unleashing Vision & Inspiration
THE SUMMARY
Chapter 1: Culture Trumps Vision
A church’s culture is much more powerful than its vision or strategy. It

affects how people receive new ideas, how creative they are able to be,
it builds or erodes enthusiasm, and shapes the level of joy people have in
working there. Ultimately, the culture of an organization shapes individual
morale, teamwork, effectiveness, and outcomes. Culture eats strategy for
lunch. Even if you have a good strategy, if you don’t have the culture and
the systems to support it, the strategy will be defeated. About the Authors
What do we mean by organizational culture? Simply put, it’s the person-
Dr. Samuel Chand speaks
ality of the organization. It includes both tangible and intangible things.
regularly at leadership and
Tangible includes how people dress and behave, the look of the offices
ministerial conferences,
or buildings, and the kind of posters on the wall. Intangibles are harder
seminars, and other leadership
to grasp, but in some ways are more important. Those would include the
values, beliefs, and assumptions of the organization; what is considered development opportunities. He
success and how it is celebrated; how problems are addressed, and the was named in the list of the
level of trust and respect that are operating. Top 30 Global Leadership Gurus
by www.leadershipgurus.
Many leaders confuse culture with vision and strategy, but they aren’t the net. He serves on the Board
same. The latter focus on products, services, and outcomes, but culture is of Equip (Dr. John Maxwell’s
ministry) and assists Bishop
Eddie Long’s leadership
Published by Leaders Book Summaries. 872 New Britton Rd, Carol Stream, IL 60188 development team.
No part of this document may be reproduced without prior written consent.
© 2012 Leaders Book Summaries. All rights reserved
www.studyleadership.com 1
This summary was created for the sole use of Claudine Patricio ([email protected]). Redistribution is strictly prohibited.
Leaders Book Summaries: Cracking Your Church’s Culture Code
about the people—the way they are treated, the way

they treat others, and the way they respond to their Chapter 2: Culture Killers
leaders.
Cultures can change, but only when the leaders take
To get a picture of a church’s culture, ask these kinds an objective view of reality—where the church re-
of questions: ally is—including what toxic agents might be present.
Churches have a wide range of cultures, from very
• Who are the heroes (and what makes them heroes) healthy to almost dead. For our purposes, I plot the
• I f someone says “tell me about your church,” what range on a 5-point continuum:
stories are told?
• Who is rewarded, and for what? 1. I nspiring Cultures. The spirit of the organization
• How are decisions made? encourages people to bring their best to work
each day, and together they accomplish amazing
The shape of an organization’s culture begins at the things. Characteristics of inspiring cultures:
top level. The leader’s integrity, competence, and • Leaders give clear direction, but aren’t au-
care for the staff and leaders create the environment thoritarian.
where people excel…or not. • Leaders cultivate an atmosphere of trust and
respect.
As we begin our look at organizational culture, we • The organizations have high but realistic ex-
need to note some important principles: pectations.
• Creativity is rewarded, and failures are seen
1. C
ulture is the most powerful factor in any organi- as stepping-stones.
zation. • Leaders celebrate success throughout the
2. C
ulture is usually unnoticed, unspoken, and unex- organization.
amined. (Top Leaders need to spend as much time
analyzing their culture as they do their vision and 2. A
ccepting Cultures. Accepting cultures are good
plans). places to work, for staff, volunteers, and people in
3. C
ulture determines how people respond to vision the community. Characteristics:
and leadership. (The degree of trust and respect • T he overall atmosphere is positive, but there
present affects if and how people embrace a are some topics that are taboo, or some in-
leader’s vision). competent leaders who have stayed too long.
4. C
ulture most often surfaces through negative • Some difficult decisions are avoided or de-
experiences. (When you encounter problems that layed.
can’t be fixed by a new vision or plan, you prob- • Senior leaders invest in developing people and
ably have a cultural issue). the culture.
5. C
ulture is hard to change, but change results in • Communication is good and there are not
multiplied benefits. usually turf wars.
When there is a disconnect between a leader’s vision 3. S

tagnant Cultures. Many churches begin with a
and the receptivity of the people, the problem isn’t clear vision but find that, over time, their culture
with the vision; it’s the culture. Most leaders don’t loses energy and stagnates. Characteristics of
spend much time thinking about culture; they assume stagnant cultures include:
it’s “just fine.” But great leaders, I believe, devote as • The leadership sees staff as production units,
many resources to building and shaping their culture not people (so their value is based on their
as they invest in vision and strategy. production).
• Staff members tolerate their leaders but don’t thority.

trust or respect them. • Creativity and risk-taking have long vanished.
• The only heroes are usually the people at the • Ethical lapses may occur but people are ex-
top. pected to turn a blind eye.
• Complaining and turf wars are common.
• Leaders aren’t happy with declining results, so In my experience the spectrum falls along a bell
they try to control people (micromanage, get curve. There are few truly inspiring organizations, and
angry, threaten or reward, etc.)…but nothing few that are genuinely toxic. Most churches fall in the
works. middle three categories. The key thing to remember
• There is little real commitment to a vision; is that the churches at the top still experience dif-
people are just doing a job. ficulties, but the leaders are steadfastly committed to
resolving problems by treating everyone with respect.
4. D
iscouraging Cultures. Some organizations suck
the life out of people, leaving them hurt, angry, The most powerful features of a culture are trust
and confused. Discouraging cultures live with the and respect. With them, almost any problem can be
ghosts of countless unresolved problems and unresolved. However, every church faces challenges that
healed wounds. Some characteristics of discourag- can undercut them. Unrealistic demands by leaders,
ing cultures include: or blaming others for problems undercut trust. (One
• It’s all about the power and prestige of the of the most trust-building things any leader can do is
people at the top. take responsibility for their blunders). Allowing power
• People spend as much time trying to survive struggles, not celebrating other’s successes, creat-
power struggles and protecting themselves as ing an atmosphere of fear, and using people instead
they do working. of valuing them will breed cynicism and undermine
• As results decline, leaders become more au- respect.
thoritarian and threatening.
• The leaders tend to blame the incompetent or A final issue that undercuts trust and respect is a lack
unmotivated people who work for them rather of clarity regarding vision, strategy, goals, and values.
than looking in the mirror. People don’t thrive in confusion! If the course isn’t
• When leaders try to cast vision, no one cares; clear people are unable to give themselves whole-
they’ve heard it before, and don’t believe any- heartedly to their work.
thing will be different this time.
5. T
oxic Cultures. Some of the most toxic organiza- Chapter 3: Seven Keys of Culture
tions have the most charming leaders. From the
outside they look great, but people on the inside
are often damaged by their fangs and venom! Many of us have had the experience of walking into a
Characteristics of toxic cultures include: room and very quickly being able to tell something is
• Leaders create a “closed system” so any wrong. We can sense it in the air, in the relationships,
advice or creative ideas from the outside are in the dynamics among the people. However, some of
suspect from the start. us who are very perceptive about others can be quite
• People aren’t treated with respect; they are clueless about our own culture. Quite often we need
expected to do as they are told. some help to see things clearly. We are simply too
• Fear is the dominating motivational factor of close to the people and systems in our own environ-
the organization. ment to be objective.
• Leaders delegate responsibility but not au-
It is much easier to introduce a new program than

to change the culture. Many pastors report it’s the Trust. Mutual trust is the glue that makes everything
hardest thing they’ve ever done. It requires wisdom, good possible. Without it, a team quickly disintegrates
courage, and tenacity—and starting with a correct into a gang of people protecting turf and building
understanding of the current condition. alliances. Trust may be freely given, but it is usually
earned over time as people watch each other respond
One way to look at the culture is to look at seven in good times and bad. Integrity and consistency
important factors that shape organizational culture. provide a firm foundation for relationships to thrive.
For each of these, we’ll identify particular attitudes This is especially true in times of difficulty—struggles
and behaviors that point a culture toward either reveal a person’s true nature.
inspiration or toxicity, using an acronym for “culture:”
Control, Understanding, Leadership, Trust, Unafraid, Unafraid. Corporate courage is an incredibly appeal-
Responsive, and Execution. ing trait, but not an easy one to foster. Healthy teams
foster the perspective that failure isn’t bad and con-
Control. People function most effectively if they are flict isn’t the end of the world. Great leaders welcome
given control (or authority) with responsibility. If they dissenting opinions, as long as they are pursuing a
are held accountable for a task without having the solution. In an unhealthy culture, people feel insecure
means to accomplish it, they’ll fail, and they’ll be ter- and believe they need to avoid any risk, or find them-
ribly frustrated. On the other hand, if control is con- selves walking on eggshells around some people.
centrated in one person who makes all the important
decisions, the organization experiences a significant Responsive. Teams with healthy cultures are alert
bottleneck. In a healthy culture the leader gives clear to opening and closing doors. One individual may not
direction, assigns tasks, delegates authority, pro- spot them but somebody on the team usually will.
vides resources, and then has a reasonable reporting For teams to be responsive, they have to develop a
procedure so people can stay on track until the task is consistent process for working together, with com-
finished. munication lines that are wide open. The larger the
organization grows, the greater the energy that needs
Understanding. Every person on a team needs to to be invested in being responsive. Being responsive
have a clear grasp of the vision, his or her role, the requires energy and workable systems to make sure
gifts and contributions of the team members, and the things don’t fall through the cracks.
way the team functions. Each person should be able
to clearly articulate each of these vital aspects of the Execution. It is much easier to make decisions
team’s life. than actually follow through and implement them.
But when people don’t see the fruit of their discus-
Leadership. Healthy teams are pipelines of leader- sions and decisions, they lose faith in each other and
ship development. They recognize that an organiza- become discouraged. It’s not a big deal if something
tion is only as healthy as the pool of rising leaders, doesn’t happen because someone is sick; however,
so they actively seek to discover those who show system-wide, consistent failure poisons the atmo-
leadership potential, develop resources to equip and sphere. To be sure that follow-through becomes
inspire leaders, and carefully deploy them in roles that the norm, leaders need to define goals very clearly,
enflame their hearts, challenge them to excel, and including who, what, why, when, where, and how,
propel the organization to new heights. Note: many and progress needs to be followed up on. Ironically, a
church teams focus on training people to accomplish pursuit of excellence is a catalyst for healthy relation-
tasks, but they neglect the essential role of develop- ships—people develop trust as they see each other hit
ing leaders. deadlines and overcome challenges as they execute
plans together. resist even healthy changes. Don’t be surprised when

people on your team feel uncomfortable with honesty.
Give them time to adjust, and keep loving them as
Chapter 4: Vocabulary Defines you model a new vocabulary, but realize that some
people may not want to change. They prefer the old
Culture culture.
Words have the power to shape lives and organiza-
tions. Too often leaders aren’t aware of their vocabu-
lary and don’t realize how people are affected by their Chapter 5: Change Starts With Me
words. Even casual statements can have profound
effects. The words we use, and the way we use them,
define organizational culture. Our choice of words cre- Christians often have high expectations of their lead-
ates a bond among those who understand the mean- ers. But when it comes to culture, instead of waiting
ings and context, but they can also build walls that for the top leader to change the culture and make
keep out those who don’t understand. The existing everything smooth, pleasant, and easy, we need to
vocabulary of a church is seldom analyzed, and even begin with the one person we have the power to
less often challenged, because the use of the terms control: ourselves. Too many of us expend enormous
has become accepted, and even traditional. amounts of energy trying to manage things outside
our control. Accepting responsibility for what we can
Vocabulary isn’t just about the specific terms that are control—and making a steadfast commitment not to
used. It’s also about whether language is inclusive or complain about what is outside our control—are cru-
exclusive. Do the leaders talk about “us” and “them” cial ingredients in spiritual, emotional, and relational
when referring to the people in the church? Does health.
your team talk about “problems” or “challenges?”
Your language both shapes and reflects your culture. Anyone on a team can become a change agent. While
Note: the vocabulary used by the dominant person in position isn’t that important, there are other qualities
the group, whether or not they are the formal leader, that most change agents have in common:
will eventually become the collective language of the • Their deepest motivation is to do something
team. meaningful.
• They possess a “can-do” attitude.
One of the ways we build culture is through hon- • They have the courage and insight to ask
est, authentic communication. People can tell if a tough questions.
leader is holding back information, shading the truth, • They are honest about their own limitations.
or expressing blind optimism. Authenticity requires • They are willing to confront reality and not
acknowledging faults, listening carefully, and telling avoid uncomfortable topics.
the truth even when it isn’t popular. People may not
always like what they hear, but they respect leaders It usually takes about three years to change the
who speak the unvarnished truth. culture of a church or organization. There is a regular
process, which I’ve broken down into four stages that
How can we tell if our vocabulary is defining the organizations go through as they are changing their
culture we desire? We can pay attention to the sig- culture.
nals we receive from the people around us. Chang-
ing culture always creates conflict. When we choose Stage 1: Knowledge. The first level requires a
respect instead of manipulation, and honesty instead change of mind resulting in increased knowledge.
of avoiding issues, most people will thrive, but a few Facts that support the reasons for change need to be
gathered and shared. These experiences often take the form of failure, con-
flict, and power struggles, but it also can come from
Stage 2: Attitude. The second level requires a implementing new plans when some people want to
change in attitudes about roles, goals, and relation- stay where they are.
ships. People may feel threatened by the potential
changes. The issue now is emotional, not factual, and As we look at chaos being a catalyst for change, we
the leader’s job is to provide support and help people need to remember that our people have varying ca-
steer through the emotional issues that always ac- pacities to embrace change. Some love it, some hate
company culture change. it, but all have a basic question: “How does this affect
me?” The way a leader navigates change may do
Stage 3: Behavior. Level 3 requires a change in more to define the organization’s culture than any-
behavior, which eventually become the norm in the thing else. For example, re-affirming core values can
culture (once they become habitual). Often these do a lot to ease people’s fears regarding change. If
changes are implemented gradually, starting with the they believe that the church’s core values will always
safest and the ones that offer the biggest chance for be respected, they may be more willing to embrace
success. change in other areas. There are three particular
things effective leaders can do to help people navi-
Stage 4: Institutional Behavior. This level is the gate change.
cumulative effect of knowledge, attitudes, and new
habits. This is where we see change in the culture First is redefining failure. Innovation is a key aspect of
of the organization. Everyone has had time to think, growing churches, but innovation always includes the
plan, and experiment with new actions that, over risk of failure. Great leaders and teams have found
time, take root and change the expectations and rela- ways to transform the inevitable failures into plat-
tionships in the organization. forms for future success. They have created a culture
of experimentation where creativity is celebrated and
The key thing to understand in all this is that each failure isn’t a tragedy. To create this kind of culture,
person is responsible for shaping the culture. It’s not leaders need to apply a few key principles:
acceptable to sit back and complain about the leaders
or our situation. Being passive and resentful, or being • Look in the mirror to see how you personally
demanding and angry, certainly create a culture, but respond to failure.
not a good one. • Develop a vocabulary of risk—a way to talk
about it that challenges people and makes it
safe to risk at the same time.
Chapter 6: The Catalyst of Chaos • Respond positively to success—celebrate it!
• Respond graciously to failure—celebrate the
attempt and the learning that comes from it.
To create a new culture, you have to destroy the old
one, and half measures won’t do. If we try to ease Failure can be the platform to learn life’s greatest
our way into a new culture with as little pain as pos- lessons so that we can continue to think the unimagi-
sible, we’ll probably fail to make the necessary adjust- nable, dream the impossible, and attempt incredible
ments and any change will be incomplete at best. In things.
order to move forward, every organization has to be-
come friends with chaos. The commitment to change Second is to anticipate opportunities. Every organiza-
a culture is always learned from negative experiences tion experiences natural cycles of growth and de-
that look like chaos but are actually doors to growth. cline. The cycle begins with a vision and moves into
a growth mode, but if momentum isn’t sustained, what people and organizations are really made of. If
energy gradually subsides, passion erodes, and ul- we respond with insight, courage, and hope, they be-
timately can lead to stagnation and death. The key come catalysts for incredible growth—for the church
understanding here is that vision will begin to fade and for each person on the team.
before growth slows. Momentum will carry you for a
while, which can deceive you into thinking things are Chapter 7: Changing Vehicles
ok. Great leaders take note and begin to cast fresh vi-
sion before the decline sets in. This can cause chaos, Changing the culture of a team or church doesn’t
because most of the people will think things are going happen easily or quickly. It’s much easier to change
just fine. If the leader can navigate the resistance a program. Changing the culture is difficult because
he will surely encounter, a new growth phase will be it reflects our deepest values of integrity, trust, and
launched, rather than settling into decline. heart, as well as how we implement our values in
every relationship and program. Changing a culture
The third way effective leaders help their people requires clear thinking, concerted effort, enormous
handle change is by managing conflict. Few things courage, and tenacious consistency. But first, we need
rob leaders of joy and vision as much as dealing with to recognize what needs to change.
conflicts on their teams. They can rip the heart out
of a compassionate leader, and create an inordinate If I want to travel to London from Atlanta, I can’t
share of chaos for the team as a whole. I believe that take a car. It’s the wrong vehicle for the journey. It’s
many church leaders put up with far too much medi- perfect for other purposes, but not for that one. If
ocrity and resistance among their staff, and failure to London is my vision, I have to change vehicles in
address those issues will create a stagnant or even order to get there.
toxic culture in the church. Get the right people in the
right places, even if it takes time. Don’t make people This analogy fits the situation for many church lead-
decisions too quickly, but be clear on what you are ers. We may have a good vehicle (our organizational
looking for. I suggest looking at these four things: structure and personnel) to achieve a limited vision,
but the one we are currently using may not be able to
• Competence: Can you do the job? take us to the place God wants us to go. The ques-
• Character: Can I trust you? tion then becomes—do we change the vehicle, or the
• Chemistry: Can you fit in our culture? destination?
• Capacity: Can you grow with us?
That’s not just a rhetorical question. When leaders
Every leader knows that some people on the team keep butting their heads against a wall day after day,
are more open to new ideas than others. Perceptive many of them scale back their vision to match the
leaders develop the ability to anticipate each person’s capabilities of the vehicle. Eventually they realize their
response to a challenge or new opportunity. In times existing structure and personnel aren’t capable of
of chaos, leaders need to marshal their resources to achieving their vision, and they realize there is only
get the “influencers” on board, so they can help oth- one thing to do: change the vehicle.
ers also get on board. Times of chaos offer a perfect
opportunity to impart a new culture to the team and The first step is to get really clear about the vision.
to the whole body of believers. There will always be Many churches start out that way but drift over time.
resistance, but wise leaders anticipate it and prepare Sometimes other leaders bring ideas, suggestions,
for it. and plans that sound great, but may not have been
in alignment with the original vision. The leader didn’t
Chaos, no matter what the cause, is a test that shows want to discourage the creativity of the people, and
assumes it won’t hurt anything. Eventually the leader “HOW will he?” This helps us understand the
realizes they have drifted from the original vision. At true impact the decision will have.
this point many leaders conclude that it’s easier to 4. How much will it cost? This question must be
change the vision than to expend all the energy it asked last. It’s not just a financial cost; the
will take to bring the entire leadership team back into cost also includes the people, time, energy,
alignment with the original vision. They may be tired, and resources that will be pulled from other
discouraged, or feel alone, but the bottom line is they programs.
are no longer being true to themselves, God, or to his
people. Answering these questions in this order helps us get
hold of the nature of the opportunity in front of us,
This often means becoming entrepreneurial again; and helps us make principled decisions based on a
churches need to larger organizational context, not just on the immedi-
re-dream the dream, or discover a new compelling ate situation.
vision for their existence. A leader’s effectiveness will
always depend on their ability to see the future, and When things aren’t working, leaders will often look at
then help others see it. changing the structure of the organization, because
that is much easier than changing the culture, which
I believe the fulfillment of a vision is rooted in the includes people’s motivations, behavior, values, and
details. Vision statements have a place, but they need ways of communicating and relating.
to be backed up with specific, strategic plans to fulfill
the vision. Developing a healthy culture is the “soft In changing a culture, it’s important for leaders to
side” of leadership, but strategic planning, the “hard think through the process. This is especially true
side” of leadership, is also essential. The two comple- because people often say they are “afraid” of change
ment each other. Strategic planning enables a team (although my observation is that they are more
and every department in the church to work together concerned about the process of the change than the
for a common goal. end result). Any change is going to have a ripple ef-
fect that will touch people in every other part of the
Strategic planning is an acquired skill. When a team church, and those people need to understand how
learns the principles of strategic planning and gains that change will affect them.
some experience, it becomes second nature. But
many leaders don’t have a framework for decision The first step is not to focus on the solution, but on
making; they just do whatever looks best at the mo- the problem. People need to be gripped by the need
ment. When presented with a complicated decision before they will embrace the solution. Some experts
that could shape the culture or change the direction believe that 90% of a leader’s efforts should be spent
of the organization, we need to ask four questions, in on selling the problem and helping people understand
this order: what is not working. After that, the leader needs to
develop plans to deal with all the possible contingen-
1. Is the program in line with our vision, mission, cies that might arise.
and core values? If not, no matter how great
the opportunity, we must say no to it. The responsibility for a successful transition is in the
2. Do we have the organizational and human hands of the leader making the change. We need
capacity—and the heart—to do this? Some- to understand that our role in implementing change
times a program is too big for us, or the tim- should be focused only on those immediately around
ing is wrong. us. We don’t need to fret about everybody, but we
3. How will God be glorified? Not “will he?” but can take bold steps to make a difference in the cul-
ture of our own teams. Healthy cultures thrive be- easier for people to move forward.
cause the right people are in the right roles, sharing
a common vision and working with congruent plans,
priorities, and resources. Too many leaders put up The Pastor’s Perspective
with less than healthy cultures because they aren’t
willing to pay the price to destroy the old and create I’ve been looking for a good book on church culture
the new. for a long time. I agree completely that “culture
trumps strategy” but I’ve had a hard time finding a
Don’t put up with a deficient vehicle any longer. book that really digs into it. Most use the language of
Destroy what you need to destroy and put something culture, but actually talk about vision and strategy!
beautiful in its place. Destroy possessive turf wars,
take the hammer to decisions that are based on mon- I didn’t have a particular take-away from the book; I
ey instead of vision; hit the spirit of blaming others, was thrilled with the focus on culture. Culture is the
and obliterate the spirit of secret alliances, suspicion, thing that people experience when they first walk
and distrust. Take the free CULTURE survey (at www. into your church. It’s the feeling in the air, the vibe
freeculturesurvey.com) to help you get a handle on people feel when they walk in. It’s the joy, the sense
what you need to pay attention to. of expectancy, the sense of hope, the way people are
connecting—before people know what the vision is or
have any experience of community, they taste the cul-
Chapter 8: Yes You Can! ture. If that is positive, the odds are good that people
will return and get involved.
It is possible to change a culture, and is some of I agree that it is possible to change the culture, but
the most productive work we can do because it has not easy. Last fall our leadership team realized that
a dramatic, multiplied impact—on the team, in the we weren’t really a very friendly church, at least to
church, and throughout the community. To take a new people. We weren’t doing a good job of welcom-
team through the process of changing the culture, we ing them and really loving on them, or incorporating
need to engage both hearts and minds. Asking open- them into the body. It was a shocking and unpleasant
ended questions is one of the best ways to do that. realization, I will say. It was a cultural reality.
Ask about things like what people want to change,
and what they don’t want to change; about what mo- Since then we have specifically been working on that
tivates, and what hinders, and etc. and have improved a lot. We haven’t arrived, but we
are well on our way. We are intentionally recruiting
There are two specific things to be aware of in walk- people and training them on how to welcome new
ing your team through the process. First, remember people, and we are seeing that spread through the
that most leaders tend to be abstract communicators, church. It is possible to change a culture, it does take
but most team members think concretely. Concepts a lot of work—and it is totally worth it.
bore them; they want specifics. When casting vision,
make sure you include some of the specific plans or
you will lose people.
Second, realize that all change is a critique of the

past. Many feel a sense of loss, no matter how excit-
ing you paint the future. If we are sensitive and wise,
and honor what has gone before, it makes it much
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May 2012

Cracking Your Church’s

A church’s culture is much more powerful than its vision or strategy. It

about the people—the way they are treated, the way

When there is a disconnect between a leader’s vision 3. S

• Staff members tolerate their leaders but don’t thority.

It is much easier to introduce a new program than

plans together. resist even healthy changes. Don’t be surprised when

Second, realize that all change is a critique of the

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