7 Principles for Healthy Church Culture
By C.J. Pearce
Over the last two years, I’ve collected principles that contribute to a healthy church culture. These have come from conversations, books, podcasts, etc. Whenever I heard something that made me think, “I should write that down,” I did! The following list is seven of those principles that rose to the top and proved to be most practically helpful in my revitalization context.
1. Try to replace a negative with a positive.
If something needs to change, try to replace it with something that accomplishes the intended purpose more effectively. For example, if you want to end the “turn and greet your neighbor” time during worship, find another practical way for people to connect and fellowship on Sunday morning. This can’t always be done. Sometimes, things must simply end.
2. Promote character over competence.
David didn’t look like a King, but that’s the role God called him to. You’ll be tempted to rocket the most talented to the highest positions without taking a deep look under the hood of their hearts. It’s easier to develop talents and skills than fix a crooked character who's been given a position of authority in the church.
3. We are to be grace givers and reconciliation seekers.
Hurts and offense don’t get swept under the rug to fester. We must move toward, not away from, those whom Satan would like to divide us from. This means not avoiding them in the hallway or intentionally sitting across the auditorium from them. It looks like a hug and a genuine “I love you” in the donut line on Sunday morning. When we are offended or hurt, we have to exercise christian charity and lead the conversation with questions, not accusations, assuming that we might have misunderstood or misinterpreted something. Assume the best of your brothers and sisters for as long as possible.
4. Secret complaints don’t get public solutions.
If you have an issue with something, don’t leave an anonymous note or ask someone else to address it for you. Have the courage to talk with the person, not about them.
5. Prayer is how we prepare.
All the planning in the world is only useful if it has been covered in prayer first. It’s easy to put our trust in committees, teams, programs, well-thought-out strategies, and detailed planning meetings. Ultimately, the success of anything we do is the fruit of the Holy Spirit’s work in and through us. So, before we take action, we bring our plans before the Lord in prayer.
6. Healthy things grow and last. Therefore, we focus on the church's health and expect growth to be the natural by-product of it.
The problem with reversing these things and focusing on growth over health is that we can be tempted to grow in unhealthy ways. Instead of drawing people by the message of the gospel and the glorious nature of God, we might try to draw them through bigger and better productions or weak stances on fundamental doctrines or caving to cultural pressures.
7. We stay standing like sequoia trees.
Sequoia trees get 300 feet tall and live for thousands of years, but only have roots 5 feet deep. How? It’s because each sequoia is connected to the one next to it through its root system. Together, we grow into what God has called us to be. If we remain isolated, we will fall over. The trees supply each other with nutrients and support so that when one is running dry or beginning to lean, the others sustain it through the tough season. This is true for the individual Christian and the church as a whole. You need to be plugged into a community with other Christians. In the same way, a church needs to be in close relationships with other like-minded local churches if it wants to be healthy and operate asChrist intended. Isolation is bad for Christians individually and churches collectively.
This list is seven principles that proved to be helpful in my revitalization context. While not all revitalization contexts are identical I think these principles could prove helpful in your context. What did I miss and would you add? What practical ways have you pursued a healthy culture in your church?
C.J. Pearce stepped into full-time ministry in 2018 and is currently the Lead Pastor of White Sulphur Baptist Church in Georgetown Kentucky. He has been married to his wife, Bethany, since 2014 and together they have two children, Piper and Luke. C.J. Is currently pursuing his M. Div at City Seminary of Sacramento and is the co-host of the Together for the Bluegrass podcast.