Every organisation is embedded with a culture that is an outcome of what people do, how people think, multiplied by a certain period of time. Some church cultures can be empowering and conducive for growing ministries while others can stunt the growth of the church and of the people.
The culture that leaders propagate in a church community will greatly affect the way it grows. Yes we believe that Jesus is the source of all growth, but the Bible tells us also how the quality of our soil (whether it's our hearts, leadership, mindsets, church systems) can greatly affect how God's Word will work in our lives and in our communities.
Matthew 13:8 says, "Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty." We want our church communities to have that good soil. To know what good soil is, we must know what it must not contain. Here are five toxic cultures that ruin the soil of churches and how to battle them.
"Periscope" Christianity. The Bible was meant to be a mirror as James teaches (James 1:23), but to many Christians they feel it's better used as a periscope to peer into and criticise the lives and faith of others. This can be very toxic for church growth. God urges us instead to not judge except probably to judge our own actions so as to grow in our walk with Him.
Passivity. This many people might not want to hear, but passive members of the church can become toxic to church culture especially if they start demanding things without doing their part. These people complain about the preaching, worship, lights, sounds, bathrooms, small group structures and anything else that isn't up to their own standards, but they never do their part. This destroys not only the church system but also church culture. We must come to a realisation that God has given every single one of us certain gifts and talents that can be used to bless others. The church needs to help passive members to connect with God to find out what their particular gifts are and ask Him for the opportunity and boldness to step out in faith and get involved.
Entitlement. When church members - or worse - church leaders feel a sense of entitlement when it comes to respect, position, power and favor, churches have a problem. Jesus teaches us in Matthew 20:16, "So the last will be first, and the first last." When it comes to leadership in the kingdom of God, our Lord teaches us to live a life that does not expect what we deserve because if it were based on that, we would be on very bad foundations. We all can fail sometimes so we must rely on the grace of God and not our own qualifications resulting in a false sense of entitlement.
Micro-management. In my years of ministry and dialoguing with many ministers from various cultures, ethnicities and backgrounds, all will agree that micromanagement kills ministry empowerment. Church relationships thrive in the context of trust. That's not to say we become careless, but that we learn to give trust without making anyone feel that there is a need to earn it.
