The 3 Big Elements for Creating a Multiplying Culture in your Church

You have the potential and resources to become a Level 5 multiplying church

 

How do you begin to create a multiplying culture in your church? What even is culture?
The good news is that it’s doable. You can lead a church that is sold out to multiplication. Your church may not be anywhere close to that place right now. But you as the leader can cast new vision. It begins with creating a culture of multiplying. How do you approach what seems like an elusive and abstract concept?
First, we have to learn what culture is and how it’s created. Brian Zehr, co-founder and lead architect of an organization guiding leaders to establish culture, reveals why culture is so profoundly important to every church. Check out this training video and forward it to your team to watch and discuss.
Here are a few other things you shouldn’t miss about creating a multiplication culture:

• On Monday, we talked about why “culture is everything” and offered practical counsel to any leader wanting to cast the vision for multiplication. Culture creation starts with the convergence of three major elements. When these elements align with a multiplication vision, we begin to create a multiplying culture. Use these seven culture-creation questions as team discussion points to help you instill (if you’re just starting out) or shift your church’s current culture toward multiplication.

• Are you thinking there’s simply no way you could refocus your church? Brian Bloye planted West Ridge church focused on how big he could grow the church. But as his mindset and heart began to change, he began to cast a new vision. Today, West Ridge is an intentional, multiplying church. You can change the status quo. Brian offers 6 practical steps for turning the tide and creating a multiplying culture in your church in this podcast from Exponential East 2016.

• Still on the fence about culture creation? The reality is your church is creating a culture whether or not you’re leading it. Every church has a culture. Zehr says, “What makes your church work or not work is the culture you have. So we need to pay attention to and define the culture we’re creating for our church.” We’ve done the research for you. Take some time this week to learn more about the three elements of culture and download the Exponential eBook Spark: Igniting a Culture of Multiplication. Pay close attention to pages 42 through 59.

Next week: We’ll be talking about what it means (and looks like) to change the operating system in your church—a system that supports multiplication. We’ll look at the components of an operating system and their importance, why we need to change the system, and then how we change it to become a Level 5 multiplying church. To get these resources throughout the week, follow @churchplanting on Facebook and Twitter.

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Below are summaries and links to the week’s resources plus additional ones to check out to learn more about leading a multiplying church:
Creating a Multiplication Culture: 7 Questions for Your Team by Brian Zehr/ Important questions to help you and your team tackle the three elements of culture
Create a Multiplying Culture in Your Church: 6 Practical Steps (podcast featuring church planting leader Brian Bloye)/Bloye shares his story of internal change and then how West Ridge has become a multiplying church centered on the heart of God
An Effective Multiplying Culture in Your Church: The Three Essentials (video featuring culture strategist Brian Zehr)/ crucial suggestions for leaders as they initiate multiplication.

Additional Resources for creating a multiplying culture 

Books
Contagious Culture: Show Up, Set the Tone and Intentionally Create an Organization That Thrives by Anese Cavanaugh (McGraw Hill Professional)
Cracking Your Church’s Culture Code: Seven Keys to Unleashing Vision & Inspiration by Samuel Chand
Creating a Missional Culture: Equipping the Church for the Sake of the World by JR Woodward (IVP Books)
Creating Your Church’s Culture: How to Uproot Mediocrity and Create a Healthy Organizational Culture by Stephen Blandino (CreateSpace)
Gaining by Losing: Why the Future Belongs to Churches That Send by J.D. Greear (Zondervan)
It’s Personal: Surviving and Thriving on the Journey of Church Planting by Brian and Amy Bloye (Zondervan)
On The Verge: A Journey Into the Apostolic Future of the Church by Dave Ferguson and Alan Hirsch (Zondervan, Exponential Series)
The Spontaneous Expansion of the Church: And the Causes That Hinder It by Roland Allen (Wipf & Stock Pub)
THOROCITY: The Seven Critical Components to Lead With Confidence by Brian Zehr
Viral Churches: Helping Church Planters Become Movement Makers by Ed Stetzer and Warren Bird (Jossey-Bass)
FREE eBooks
Becoming a Level 5 Multiplying Church  by Todd Wilson and Dave Ferguson
Flow: Unleashing a River of Multiplication in Your Church, City and World  and Play Thuno: The World-Changing Multiplication Game by Larry Walkemeyer
Sending Capacity, Not Seating Capacity by J.D. Greear and Mike McDaniel
Spark: Igniting a Culture of Multiplication by Todd Wilson
The Question That Changed My Life: How Planting Life-Giving Churches Became Our Direction by Jeff Leake
Podcasts/Videos
Creating a Healthy Team Culture (podcast with Mike Hickerson)
Creating a Leadership Culture for Multiplication (podcast with Brian Zehr)
Creating a Value-Driven Culture (podcast with Craig Groeschel)
Defining Your Organization’s Culture (podcast with Andy Stanley)
Igniting a Culture of Multiplication Forum, Parts 1, 2 and 3 (podcast with Brian Bolt, Jeff Leake and Larry Walkemeyer)
Launch a Rapidly Reproducing Discipleship Culture (podcast with Dan Grider)
Digital Access Pass Spark: Igniting a Culture of Multiplication (video featuring all main sessions from Exponential East and West 2015)
Blog posts/Articles
A Five Step Guide on How to Create an Amazing Culture by Carey Niewhof
3 Driving Factors in Creating Culture in Your Church by Dan Reiland
10 Ways to Create a Leadership Culture in Your Church by Will Mancini
When Your Church Objects to Your Multiplication Vision by Shane Critser