Renewal
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The church is a living, breathing institution. To remain relevant, it must focus on creating a culture of renewal; embracing renewal is integral to spiritual and missional growth. By focusing on creating a culture of renewal, churches can better serve their communities and make an impact that lasts.
What Does It Mean to Create a Culture of Renewal?
We are not talking about creating new one-time events, or even a new mission focus. These kinds of projects are good in and of themselves, but they do not necessarily impact the culture of the congregation. Think of the culture of a congregation as “the way we do things.” While the individuals in the congregation may be caring, Christ-loving, and compassionate, the culture of the congregation has an even greater influence than the individuals in it.
Through my years of experience in teaching people how to create a culture of renewal, I have found that most congregations have cultures that are stability-seeking, harmony-oriented, and cautious about risk. This impacts the way they preach, pray, do mission, celebrate, organize themselves, envision the Kingdom, and relate to their neighbors. This church culture is prevalent in all kinds of congregations: rural and urban, small and large, old and new, traditional and non-traditional.
To actively create a culture of renewal means to expand the way your church does things so that it allows for more spontaneity, more bold action, and more courage. It also means being willing to speed up the pace of decision-making and try things that aren’t necessarily guaranteed to work.
When a church can develop this kind of culture, it is more likely to embrace new people and to look outward, and not just inward. These changes allow a congregation to fulfill its mission.
Churches should also strive to create an atmosphere where people feel safe enough to open up about their struggles without fear or judgment. One that encourages deep conversations that lead to genuine transformation in people’s lives.
The Impact of Leadership on Renewing the Culture
Creating a culture of renewal in the church begins when its leadership, both clergy and laity, become willing to take risks and create space for others to grow. This means creating opportunities for people to ask questions, share thoughts, and explore new ideas. Your people won’t go farther than you can lead them. If the church’s leadership is unwilling to model the future, it will stay right where it is – in the past.
Recognizing failure as a necessary part of learning is also important when it comes to renewing the church culture. Create a safe space to talk through what worked and what didn’t, while being open to honest feedback. Otherwise, failures will be remembered as “We tried that, and it didn’t work,” reinforcing the reluctance to try anything new.
The Benefits of Focusing on Renewal
Focusing on renewal offers numerous benefits for the church. It helps create more meaningful relationships by providing space for vulnerable conversations about faith and life. People going through difficult times will feel supported by the church if they know their struggles are being heard and addressed with compassion.
Additionally, when churches focus on creating a culture of renewal, they become more equipped to handle real-world issues in their communities because they have created an environment where different perspectives can be shared openly.
But most importantly, when you focus on renewal, you are able to be an agent of change for the whole community, and bring hope that is desperately needed.
How to Bring Renewal to Your Setting
Shifting a culture is much tougher than launching a new event or starting a new initiative. It requires a different skill set, and a different sense of focus. For that reason, I recommend three things when you are ready to bring renewal to your setting: support, accountability, and mentoring.
Support means you are not in it by yourself. Accountability helps you keep your eye on the culture, and to evaluate what is needed next. Mentoring means you can learn from someone who has already been there. That person can help you navigate the stages of culture shifting.
If you’d like to know more about how we approach Creating a Culture of Renewal, come to a live seminar. We teach you how to move from ideas to implementation. Register here or reach out to me if you want more information.
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