For a simple process to become a part of the culture of the church, it first must be woven into the leadership culture. The discussion must begin with the leadership of the church. The simple process must become part of their vocabulary. It must roll off their tongues with ease. It must make its way into the hallway discussions, lunches with key leaders, and the meetings.
The process must be discussed among the leaders consistently. If the hearts of the leaders do not beat passionately for it, the people will miss it. If the ministry blueprint is fuzzy to the leaders, it is not even thought about by the people in the church.
Michael Hammer advocates that the leaders of an organization be the pioneers and the overseers of an organization’s process. He believes that the leaders of an organization have the breadth of perspective and the authority needed to oversee the entire process and solve problems along the way. He believes that ownership begins with the leaders.
I agree.
Discussion among the leaders leads to understanding and ownership. When the church leadership team discusses the process, the team is able to accept ownership and accountability. They are also able to address problems in the process that hinder the spiritual maturation of the people in the church.
The culture of the church follows the culture of the leadership. The leaders’ understanding and ownership overflow to everyone.
According to the research for Simple Church, consistently discussing your ministry process makes a big difference. Simple churches tend to do so while complex churches ignore this principle.
Adapted from Simple Church (B&H Publishing Group, 2006)
