How can I build an attractive culture in my local church?

Is your culture broken? That’d be a bummer.

Culture is hard to define. It is both tangible and intangible. When it is broken, you feel it. When it’s healthy, you have a feeling that something is working even if you can’t put your finger on it.

Despite its tangibility (or even intangibility), one thing that culture maintains is its consistency and intentionality. Culture is always, always intentional.

It’s constantly forming and transforming even if you aren’t. And creating culture starts with leadership. If you’re not careful, you’ll create an unhealthy culture in your team by not being intentional about foundational elements.

Because culture deeply influences people, we need to intentionally build a foundation where people are free to influence culture. Our people are everything and we have to keep this at the forefront of our minds. If you build a foundation that can expand and grow with the people God brings across your journey, your culture will attract more people.

So how do we intentionally mold an ever-changing body that is culture in our creative process? We have a few ideas:

Welcome questions

An attractive culture allows for people to ask questions, to challenge ideas, to let creativity run free. This is vital to the health of a creative atmosphere. The ability to ask questions gives people ownership in their investment.

If it is neglected, there is a huge chance that your people will feel suppressed. Suppressed people don’t stick around for long.

Don’t be easily offended

An attractive culture isn’t easily offended. There will be times where the creative process can become a little heated. After all, we are passionate people sharing our ideas with one another—and not everyone will like our ideas.

Attractive culture is solidified by trust in each other and in the process. Without trust, collaboration becomes a competition which then births offense.

That’d be a bummer. We don’t want that.

Be quick to forgive

An attractive culture is quick to forgive and quick to admit it was wrong. Like mentioned above, the process is not always fool proof.

Offense can easily sneak in. The main idea to keep in mind is that there are no ladders to climb here. We are all in this together, like seriously.

Champion diversity

An attractive culture welcomes diversity. It is good to be in a room full of people who don’t think like you or each other. A team full of people with the same strengths and mindsets is simultaneously a team with the same weaknesses and lack of imagination.

Diversity births innovative ideas.

And always remember, creating culture starts with leadership. Whether you are leading up as team members—or leading across as team leaders, how you lead will determine what you create. Lead the initiative of creating an attractive culture with strength and security in the vision at hand.

If you found this article informative and helpful, please share! And don’t forget to keep a lookout for incoming resources for churches and ministries from Yellowbox Creative.

Do you need help:
(1) Launching a church plant?
(2) Designing your church series?
(3) Nurturing a creative community?

At Yellowbox, we empower churches and ministries with the tools, coaching and resources they need to reach real people. With that creative support, church outreach is no longer intrusive — it becomes a catalyst for community.