How to Shift Your Church's Culture

As a leader in your church, you have the privilege, along with other leaders, of shifting your congregation's culture. If you assess that the culture isn't healthy, you have not only the privilege but the responsibility to shift it. The process of making the shift is not optional; it represents the process of incarnating the kingdom of God.

When we talk about making a culture shift, we are talking about changing the default. To take an example, on most computers the default font size is 12 point. If you prefer generally to read print that's a little larger, say 14 point, then you have to permanently modify the default setting. If you change it just for the document you're working on now, then the next time you use the computer, bling! It's back to 12 point again.

Culture shift is a lot like that. You try to instill a new program in your church, and you think you've succeeded, and then the next week — bling! — everything has reverted to the way it was. If this happens week after week after week, you have not really shifted the culture at all. You need to find the cultural default and reset it by doing hard work that involves not just you but other church leaders, and ultimately everyone in the congregation. Over a period of time, this culture shift occurs, and a new day will dawn.

Learn more about shifting your church's culture here.