The personality of church culture

Have you ever noticed that the culture of a church or ministry is a distinct reflection of the personality traits of its primary leader?

There are many clues; some obvious and others subtle. Most churches are a combination of what follows, watch closely and you'll see it in your church. I've categorized a few:

• Control Culture: The leader seeks to have input into, or control every aspect of ministry. Evidence of this type of culture is in staff and volunteers who feel pressure that their performance is never good enough. This feeling is compounded by the leader's weakness in interpersonal communication skills, lack of accountability, and unapproachable nature.
• Numbers Culture: Evidence for relevance is driven by numbers: numbers of attendees; numbers of small groups; numbers of children in ministries; the amount donated on a weekly basis. Numbers matter more than relationships. Closely related to the Pedestal Culture.
• Cowardice Culture: Evidenced by the use of executive pastor or staff to deliver bad news at direction of senior pastor. Senior pastor refuses to accept responsibility or be accountable for bad decision making.
• Last-minute culture: All execution is last minute, even if planning is done months in advance. Most likely, planning and execution are done last minute. Little regard given for personal schedules of volunteers, and possibility of previously scheduled events.
• Only my Ministry Matters Culture: Intra-church ministries and teams do not compare calendars, and cross-schedule events. So much for the idea of a body working together.
• Pedestal Culture: Senior and executive staff who exhibit reclusive behavior, rarely interacting with "the flock," as if the very activity is beneath them, and perhaps best left for a pastoral care professional. Difficult for these individuals to come down off their pedestal and get a different perspective.
• Excuse Culture: "Oh, it's because he's a musician." It's because he's a big picture individual." "It's because he's the teaching pastor." "It's because we're short-staffed."
• The Miscommunication Culture: How can the church communicate the gospel, if it can't even communicate internally well?

Oh, I could go on, but it makes me tired just thinking of all the reasons why churches are so dysfunctional, and how they could be better. If only our leaders would listen as much as they talk!

Ideas for art in the church

A college friend, who pastors a church, recently asked for my input on how art can help inspire, encourage and challenge.  It's taken me some time, but here are some thoughts.  To start, here's his initial question:

"The church is in a 10-year-old metal building. Everything's gray! I'm working on bringing some color into the building. Over the last few years, I have become much more sensitive to how art can inspire and encourage, not to speak of how art can challenge and "preach." But in wanting to bring art i.e., painting, sculpture, etc., into the church, I'm at a loss as to how to begin to create a plan for this or to create a financial provision for it. Looking for guidance…"

Here's what I suggest:

First, read through these books to get yourself into a proper mindset about art and the church.   One of the reasons that churches don't have much art in them is that the Church, in large part, abandoned the arts long ago, substituting sentimental popular culture for artistic depth.  If art of any kind couldn't be used for Sunday school or evangelism, it was deemed not worthy and largely ignored. Some churches create complex graphic and environmental themes to support sermon series, but they are no substitute for art in our lives – in our churches, our homes and in our spirits.

HR Rookmaker's Art needs no justification is an excellent treatise on how the Church (and Christians) has lowered its aesthetic standards,, and failed to interact with contemporary culture in a meaningful way (preferring to mimic an copy, rather than being original).

Schaeffer's Art and the Bible  is a superb work.  One of the most significant, and shortest, works on art ever written.

Current books on art and Christian faith can be found at Square Halo Books. I recommend It Was Good: Making Art to the Glory of God.

I feel your pain: my office is in a building on battleship gray and glass.  Were it not for the light and the color we've added; it would be thoroughly depressing.

Your environment, your existing architecture can be treated as art. Starting with color is a good place. Create BIG panels of color by staining 4x8 sheets of plywood with rich, deep color stains (not paint) to accent the industrial feel of the building – allowing the texture of the wood to show through. It doesn't need to, but as a metaphor it can speak to the beauty and transparency of grace and God's revealing work in our lives. A main panel covered in vibrant red can be a focal point to bring to the attention of the church family and to visitors the sacrifice of His blood that was made. Avoid kitsch references to any color-based evangelism tools such as color books. Remember, art needs no justification.

Too many churches try to appear so polished, so perfect, that their environment becomes merely a stage for a production and an entertainment venue; a whitewashed imitation of what the Church can be.  Art should be authentic, not amateur.  The environment in your church is spatial art. It's architecture.  If it's metal and industrial, don't try to hide it, accentuate it.

One idea to consider – (I'd love to see you do it), and done in a very small way, is to mount a series of mirrors, circular (which will look great on square walls).  Choose a series of words, or phrases such as Redeemed, I am one whom Jesus loves, Forgiven.  Have them cut in vinyl that looks like frosted glass and mounted on the mirror, and hang them on the panels, centered.  Then when an individual looks in the mirror, they see the message direct from scripture, the word that reminds them of their standing or potential in Christ.

What can you do with light, especially natural light? I am mystified by churches that so thoroughly darken a worship environment.  We worship a God of light! Why must we worship him in the dark? Light encourages the building of relationships between familiar friends and with visitors; it allows us to read the Word while it is being preached.

Art is for (God's) glory and for beauty; in Exodus the art of the tabernacle was to enhancement the environment of worship (my favorite are the pomegranates). God told Moses that he filled Bezalel with his Spirit in order to create works of art for the tabernacle. In the Hebrew it indicates he will think of what he wants to create (even though God told him exactly what he wanted), and to have the skill to create them.

Next we'll discuss specific types of art.  That's more of a challenge, and topic for another article. The environment is the first place to start, it's the canvas upon which art will hang; in which art will create an atmosphere of beauty.

When the Church is the center of the universe

In the 16th and 17th century, both Copernicus and Galileo asserted that the earth moved around the sun.  Of course, the church's opinion that the sun revolved around the earth contradicted the scientific facts, and Galileo was placed under house arrest and forbidden to publish any of his research ever again.

Such a historical story serves as a historical and contemporary metaphor as well; namely that the center of the universe is not the earth, but to many, it is the Church.  (of course it really should be Christ, but we all know what it's like to argue with the church at times).

I've touched on this theme previously, that unless our passion and interests are the same as the Church's they don't seem to matter. Yet if the Church were to realize that there is a place of balance, a place where it is as interested in my life as I am in its life, a wonderful balance occurs.

Our individual calling and service may touch upon the programs and mission of our local congregations, but – here's the part the Church as a whole seems to miss – our individual callings most likely will include other interests outside of the Church.

Even our Christ-related activities are church-centered: if someone from the Church wants to meet with us, often they call us to them; we serve in the Church, at the Church, for the Church. For all that time we spend serving, little time is given from the Church to the relationships we need to form in order to belong, to find community – sadly in the context of serving. How well do we know each other, even when we serve together? How well do those who pastor and shepherd the body of Christ really know the members?  To know the people one must get outside the confines of the Church, spend time equipping and knowing and speaking with.  Consider that Jesus spent more time outside of the synagogue than in it.  If you're a pastor – when was the last time you visited any of those who are closely aligned with your ministry either at their home or in their business?

How ironic that in my profession, I can confidently say I belong to and am a member of the business community – but in the Church the same sense of community does not often exist. (especially not in the way Bonhoeffer thought of community) (Boenhoeffer's Life Together)

Community comes from spending time together, getting to know one another in order to share common interests, common passions, common service. It comes from praying together, being authentic with each other, even from disagreeing with each other. We are the people who share the passion for the cause – people who are flawed, who are busy, who are the center of their own lives, no matter how much evidence there is that the earth revolves around the sun.

If we don't feel like we belong, we aren't going to feel like we want to give, to serve, to love.  There is a give and take that must occur – If the Church were to show more interest in its people, they in return will show more interest in the cause.

Just how big is your world?

How big is your world? Are you engaged in it beyond school, beyond church, beyond work?

Do you spend significant time with others outside of your core group of friends, outside of those who believe what you believe?

I encounter too many people who have to have some "faith" label applied to the activities they are engaged in, in order to justify their participation in that activity to themselves and to their friends.  It's sad when Christians limit themselves to only serving in ministry.

Many followers of Christ won't fully understand service until they move beyond the walls of church, the confines of ministry, and the boundaries of their faith to serve where the majority of people live.  There are too many Christians who limit their opportunities to serve God by not serving outside of their church.  Perhaps they limit the opportunities that God has for them by drawing a circle but not going to the edge.

You don't have to volunteer in a ministry to be able to serve in the name of Christ.  In fact, you may find yourself to be very passionate about serving in a cause that has nothing to do with your faith, and that's okay.  Because it has everything to do with your faith.  Romans 12 encourages us to give our bodies to God as a living sacrifice – that means all of yourself.  Give, and give more of yourself.  Your resources may be limited, but even after giving the most valuable possession God had, he still has more resources than you'll ever need.

God is limitless.  Don't put him a box that somebody else has made for you.

Let's keep it simple: Less management, more relationships

Here are some observations from the front lines of service:

There's a distinct difference between the ministry Christ had, and how he managed his disciples, and how churches conduct ministry and manage ministry.

Christ had clear, direct lines of communication between himself and the disciples. There was complete clarity on what needed to be done (even if there wasn't complete understanding of his teachings). He kept the counsel of his father, because his companions had some unusual or no understanding of what God's plan was.

Church communications today don't seem so clear, even with email and phones. Leadership by texting is not uncommon, and highly ineffective. As a business professional, I would never consider conducting business with clients by text, yet it seems to be an acceptable way to conduct relationships with ministry leaders.

All church leaders can't be completely aware of what's happening at the serving level, unless they are in continuous dialog with observers and participants in ministry. Too often valid observations are perceived as complaints; things that a professional organization would consider for continuous improvement are perceived as annoyances. There is little room for true innovation, because the model for innovation are the "best practices" of other churches or what is currently popular in church ministry circles (ie, copying what others have done) instead of solving a problem to create transformation.

Dave Browning at Neue states it very well: Less is more.

Less management, more relationships.  Focus on the relationships, and management will be easier.  Relationships are what create loyal followers and affinity for the cause.

Fewer distractions, more focus.  Embrace it!