Values and Culture

When leading any ministry, values should remain fixed, but the culture must evolve.

From the beginning of Life Church, we’ve had consistent values. Among other things, we value evangelism, stewardship, generosity, passion, integrity, excellence, and relationships.

These values are constants. But if we don’t allow God to mold our culture, we’ll get stuck in time and our effectiveness will be limited.

I see three main ways our culture has evolved in recent history:

1. In the past, we were so focused on what we were doing, we largely ignored God’s broader work in the world. We have intentionally reshaped our culture to be decidedly more kingdom minded.
2. Our culture has also evolved into showing more honor to other Christian leaders. In the past, we typically didn’t excel at hospitality. Our culture has evolved into a much more hospitable place.
3. For years, we worked hard at what God was doing inside the church but not outside. As a church, we decided to shift the culture to be much more missional. Our church responded well and now our campuses are very involved serving our communities.

While we stay true to our values, we should respond to what God is showing us and let our culture grow and evolve into a more mature expression of God’s church.

How is your culture evolving?

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One Prayer Interview - Toby Slough

Toby pastors Cross Timbers Community Church in Argyle, TX. He writes…

1. What is the biggest leadership lesson you’ve learned over the past year?
That culture change takes time and I must be patient and celebrate the small wins along the way.

2. What is God showing you personally?
He is showing me that many times the most important ministry I do is the ministry that no one sees.  He is leading me in the discipline of secret serving, giving and praying.

3. What is the top ministry challenge you’re currently facing?
Building a heart for service in our CT family  and developing a discipleship plan or track are the two things that keep me up at night.  We are also looking at opening new campuses in the next 12 months, and the challenge of moving from three campuses to four, five and six is stretching us.

4. What do you do for fun?
I play golf very poorly, but I play a lot.  It’s the one thing I do outside of ministry where I can really forget everything else going on and just focus on trying to hit the ball. 

5. What books are you reading?

• A Testament of Devotion by Thomas R Kelley
• Axiom by Bill Hybels
• Servolution by Dino Rizzo
• The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns

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One Prayer Interview - Tom Dillingham

Tom is a good friend of mine. He served on staff at LifeChurch for many years as our Tulsa Campus Pastor. Then God called him to start his own church. It was our honor to help Tom start Common Ground Church.

1. The biggest leadership lesson that I have learned in the past year:
I have learned that I can’t lead people the way that I want to be led.  This has been a really difficult lesson for me.  I just expect everyone to think the way that I think and to act the way that I act and they just don’t do it.  I love it when people leave me alone and let me build and create things.  I will turn people loose and expect them to do that and many times it goes no where.  I have learned that I have to walk and LEAD many people to the place that they need to be.  Most are not wired like I am and that is a good thing.

2. What is God showing me personally?
How big He is and how little I am.  I think that if I work really hard that I can make it happen.  I can make the church grow.  I can make people do the right thing.  The truth is I do need to work hard, but that alone will never make it happen.  I need God!!!  I need His help.  Many times when I think that I just knocked it out of the park with a sermon no one responds.  When I think that I really stunk it up, God moves and changes lives.

Even if I work and make it happen, what has really happened anyway.  Probably nothing with lasting results.  When I trust Him and recognize that He is God.  Then I see lasting results.

3. Top ministry Challenge.
Our top ministry challenge right now is a building.  We have been portable for 3 years and are really looking and taking steps toward getting a 7 day a week facility.  My challenge comes from raising money for the building.  Asking do we really need a building.  And dealing with everyone’s opinion of every building that we look at.

4. What do I do for fun?
I love my family so I hang out with them a ton.  I also love coaching their little league baseball teams.  I love coaching them more when they win than when they lose.

5. What books am I currently reading?

• Fresh Wind Fresh Fire
• It for the 4th time
• Perspectives on the Doctrine of God

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One Prayer Interview - Wayne Cordeiro

Today we’ll hear from Wayne Cordeiro. He pastors New Hope Church in Oahu, HI. He said…

1. What is the biggest leadership lesson you’ve learned over the past year?
One of the many leadership lessons I have learned over the years is how to harness and dispense energy.  I know that I have just so much energy in me, and I must use it for catalytic endeavors that will further the Kingdom.  I can no longer operate past my fatigue levels (which I used to do often) because the decisions I make during those times are not good.

2. What is God showing you personally?
Personally, God is renewing to me afresh that He is able to do many great things. I don’t provide the power. He does. I just provide the “yes.”  I provide the willingness to take the risk. I provide the receptivity.  I provide the faith to believe that changes that reform can happen, many can get saved, and that we can change the world.

3. What is the top ministry challenge you’re currently facing?
One of the greatest challenges is to know when a new leader is ready to lead.  There is a transition time where I hold things lightly, but not so far away that if it is dropped, I cannot catch it.  Too many let things fall through the cracks because a pastor has not checked on the novice’s ability to follow through.  I want to be a good shepherd in the “transition time” as the new leader is developing. One of the worst things for the Church in general is the underdeveloped leader.  They start leading while still insecure, they don’t deal with things they should have, they don’t build teams, and they become custodial managers rather than visionary leaders.

4. What do you do for fun?
When I ride my Harley Davidson, I am free!

5. What books are you reading?

• I just finished Francis Chan’s book, Crazy Love.
• I am now almost done with Mark Levin’s book, Liberty and Tyranny.

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One Prayer Pastor: Perry Noble

We’re underway with our One Prayer initiative to unite the church… big C. Recently I interviewed some of my friends partnering with us this year.

This week I’ll share their thoughts with you. We’ll start off with Perry Noble. He’s the pastor of New Spring Church in Anderson, SC. Here’s what he had to say…

1. What is the biggest leadership lesson you’ve learned over the past year?
Leadership is as easy as listening to God!  Actually, I first said this back in 2007…but I seem to be in a state where I am constantly relearning this.  As I continually journey through Scripture I am discovering that great leaders were desperate for the voice of God…and when He spoke, they obeyed!

2. What is God showing you personally?
That a move of God cannot necessarily be planned out…but it MUST be prepared for.  In Acts 1 the disciples didn’t plan Acts 2…but they did prepare for it!

3. What is the top ministry challenge you’re currently facing?
Pacing myself…we began NewSpring Church 10 years ago and I’ve basically had one speed!  Now I am trying to shift gears…and it has been one of the greatest challenges I’ve ever faced.

4. What do you do for fun?
Uh…not a lot…which STINKS!  I am trying to discover things that would be fun and enjoyable.  I know that is a weird answer…but it’s true!  I am open to suggestions.  (I do not want to hunt!!!  Getting out of a perfectly warm bed, venturing out into the cold, pouring deer “pee pee” on me and then sitting in a tree stand is NOT my idea of fun!)

5. What books are you reading?

• How the Mighty Fall by Jim Collins
• Leading on Empty by Wayne Corderio
• Wild Goose Chase by Mark Batterson
• The Brethren by Jon Grisham.

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Not Just More, But Different

I will never be satisfied with a church filled only with people who know Christ. God longs for the “lost to be found.” But for years I found the greatest joy in more people coming to church.

Today, I’m redefining success to not just more people, but different people.

A few years ago, our church was experiencing record crowds of people. But we also had many people who’d been with us for years falling into major sins.

We seemed to be effective at getting people into Church, but were we truly getting people into Christ?

I’ve been set free from being totally driven by attendance. Instead I’m asking God to take those we have into a deeper place of intimacy and knowledge of Christ. I’d rather have fewer and totally committed believers than a large number of lazy, apathetic, carnally minded and unproductive cultural Christians.

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Giving Out

As a pastor, I’ve always seen it as my role to teach people to give. My primary teaching has been to lead people to give to the local church. While I still believe the local church is the hope of the world (quoting Bill Hybels), I am not as focused on what our church can “bring in” financially, but what we can “give out.”

For years I said to myself, “One day, when we have ____________, we’ll be more generous.” The words in the blank changed over time.

• One day when we have a real building…
• One day when we have a bigger staff…
• One day when we have the building paid off…
• One day when we complete the new phase…
• One day when we add these new campuses…

After years of half-hearted promises, I believed God said “Today is one day. It is time to put your money where your mouth is.”
We’ve worked to change our culture to a culture of generosity. (We’ve learned a lot from Dino Rizzo at Healing Place and Chris Hodges at Church of the Highlands.)

Since success isn’t simply bringing money in, we see it as…

• Providing as many free resources as possible to help other churches.
• Making a significant impact on the people in our community.
• Helping meet needs around the world in the name of Jesus.

When it comes to finances and resources, for us success is no longer just what we bring in, but what we send out.

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Sending Out

For years, my emotions rode the roller coaster of attendance. After a strong week of attendance I felt good about myself and life. After a bad week of attendance, I felt like the world was crashing down around me.

I was consumed with bringing people in. Never once did I lay awake wondering why we hadn’t sent more people out.

About ten years into leading Life Church, I started thinking about how big we were (according to some standards), but how little we’d actually accomplished (according to God’s standards). Compared to the real needs of our communities, we had not made a significant difference.

That’s when I got excited about a new measurement of success. Instead of “defining the win” by how many people we brought in, what if success was measured by how many people we sent out?

• How many can we send into our communities to serve?
• How many can we send into the world to evangelize those without Christ?
• How many can we send to help start new churches?

Rather than just celebrating those we bring in, let’s celebrate those we send out!

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