"Create a culture by design, not default"
(Walt Disney)
Since our very first Informational Meeting eleven years ago today (!), Life Church has chosen to be known by what we are for, not what we are against.
Our culture is the secret sauce. We're all about Jesus: dangerously, obsessively, undeniably Jesus.
Culture determines behavior. In order to be the church we dream of, we must fight for our culture -- our unique flavor that propels us forward to reach the lost at any cost.
This is why I am committed to raising up a generation of fearless leaders in the Church.
The Church is worth fighting for. We must always rally around our shared heartbeat if we are to extend that passion into the world.
Being a Culture-Keeper requires thick skin and calcium in the spine.
Agendas must always be eclipsed by the Culture Code of your organization.
"For it is Christ’s love that fuels our passion and motivates us, because we are absolutely convinced that He has given His life for all of us.
This means all died with Him, so that those who live should no longer live self-absorbed lives but lives that are poured out for Him—the One who died for us and now lives again."
(2 Corinthians 5:14-15, The Passion Translation)
Heading into 2023, I have been working on codifying our original Culture Code. The words are nearly exactly the same, the passion is as present in my bones as on Day One, and now it's been distilled into 4 easy-to-remember big ideas.
For what it's worth, here is Life Church's 2023 Code:
HONOR: We are a generation of honor and integrity. We do not gossip. No insider politics. We are not competing with any churches. Full of honor and integrity, we will do the right thing even when it hurts. Our heart is to out-love, out-serve, and out-give those who misunderstand us.
HUMBLE: We will be known for what we are for. We will speak vision and life over our people. We choose to leverage humor over hammer. We will lift up the life-giving power of Jesus Christ rather than using our platform to condemn.
Movements move. We are not Atari, we are Apple, joining God's audacious movement of changed lives. We will always maintain a posture of learning new methods. We will always narrow the focus in all we do. We think steps, not programs.HUNGRY: We are united under one vision -- to reach the lost at any cost. To reach the people no one else is reaching, we will do the things no one else is doing. We will do anything short of sin to reach people far from God. We will aggressively defend our unity and vision.
The church is a rescue organization, not a social club. We will not cater to personal preferences in our mission to reach this region. This is not a Yacht Club. We are more concerned with the people we are trying to reach than the people we are trying to keep. We are only as "deep" as the last person we served!HUSTLE: Don't just stick your toe into the water -- Cannonball! We do it right and do it big! Greatness is never on sale. We believe undistracting excellence honors God and inspires people. We place a disproportionate value on creating a worship experience that boldly celebrates Jesus and attracts people far from God.
We are all about the numbers. Every numbers represents a person. Every person represents a story of life-change through Christ. Tracking metrics measures effectiveness. We will unapologetically celebrate life-change!
