Forging a church culture - Thinking aloud

There are four important qualities any organisation must enforce, it its members need to have a sense of belonging. A church is no different. A church is peculiar because membership is voluntary and there are so many churches to choose from. If you are not happy with one you can always go to another. If we want to retain members and make them part of the church, the following qualities must be defined:

1.   Identity

The church must have an identity to which all members can relate. An identity is the qualities, beliefs, personality, looks and/or expressions that makes the group. The identity of the church depends on the following:

• Vision/Mission
• Character - What level of holiness does the church demand
• Teaching - Beliefs/Doctrines

2.   Transparency

In the context of churches, transparency has two important components. The first is that the church’s finances be transparent, permitting congregants to see details about how their donations are spent, and the second is that the church be governed in a transparent fashion such that the congregation understands how and why decisions are made.

There is a third aspect that requires accountability of the leaders and members.  

3.   Ownership

Owning the Church takes nothing away from God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit’s role in the Church and the fact that they are the true owners, but it’s all about being responsible with what we’ve been entrusted with. When one owns something, you:

• Want to improve
• Highlight strengths and weakness
• Take pride in being part of the church
• Take part in its activities
• Offer suggestions

4.   Community

The church should always strive to meet the needs of men and women as it brings the good news of the salvation message of Jesus Christ. The church truly is about people. The church with a community mindset much be willing to spend time, resources and abilities to meet the various needs of the people in the church and in the community. The church leadership, especially in a small church,  will have to wait on the Lord to find out in what aspects of the needs of the community they want to specialise, target and meet.