No.4 - Healthy Trust Creates Healthy Culture

In my last blog I wrote about the importance of healthy cultures producing healthy Churches/Christian schools. I want to look over the next few blogs what contributes to good and bad cultures.

A common barrier to healthy cultures is lack of trust. When trust breaks down so to does the health of the organisation. We see in this in relationships - where there is a breakdown of trust the vitality and love has gone.

Lack of trust manifests in gossip, bitterness, and ultimately ends in unresolved conflict. Secret meetings without key players, people taking sides, and lack of unity are all distructive outcomes when trust breaks down. In the dozen or so churches that I have consulted with where dysfunctionality is evident, there was nearly always a break down of trust between people.

On the positive side trust breeds peace, understanding and unity.  Creating and sustaining a culture of trust will contribute significantly towards health.

Building a culture of trust where there is a breakdown, there needs to humility that seeks restoration before God and one another. I have found that the Australian Peacewise organisation and their Biblical principles is a good place to start (http://www.peacewise.org.au/get-help-with-conflict-2/peacemaking-principles/#.U9h746NuozU).

Maintaining trust is hard work. I believe it requires continual prayer, humility and openness of any issues that may affect trust.

Finally, while we don't always understand God's Will and issues with His timing, we are called to trust Him: "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight" (Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV).

For His Cause

David Moyes

No.3 - Healthy Culture = Healthy Church/School

At last year's RCBC Staff and Leadership Retreat, I mentioned about the importance of culture for growing churches. Here is a quote that I used from Wayne Cordeiro:

“to make any kind of transition as a church, your church's culture can't be ignored... Culture can prevent your church's potential from ever being realised, or - if used by the Holy Spirit - it can draw others in and reproduce healthy spiritual life all along the way”.

A few decades ago, churches and schools heard a lot about vision and mission. Since then churches and schools have spent time praying and discussing what God's visions is. This has been good - but something was still missing. 

As a church consultant I have met with literally hundreds of people (in small groups and one-on-one). Many of these churches are faithful at preaching the Word of God and their ratio of members attending prayer meetings are higher than larger churches yet they are struggling. Their culture isn't healthy thus not allowing the Holy Spirit to freely move through preaching the Word and Prayer.

This week at Hillsong Conference, we were reminded again of healthy church cultures. One of the scripture passages I heard was from Mark 4:20, "Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop--some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown" (NIV). Often we refer to this parable on how people receive the Word of God. Maybe it can also apply to churches and christian schools? Look at the phrase "like seed sown on good soil". Can this mean "good culture?" I think it can.

While God wants to give the increase (1 Corinthians 3:6), the preaching of the Word of God, dependance on God through Prayer, and sustaining a healthy culture are pivotal for Kingdom growth.

Wayne Cordeiro has written: "The potential is found in your culture – the real and true culture of your church, not the quick culture you may so often be tempted to try. It all starts when you, along with other church leaders, accept that your key role is to be the tutor who stewards a culture that releases this deep spiritual potential into the lives of your people”.

In the coming blog posts, I would like to explore bad and good cultures.

For His Cause

David Moyes