Architects of Culture

An architect draws up plans for the new building or landscape. Before the thing is created they show us what it will look like, feel like and even how the builders will build it. Whatever our roles as leaders building God's kingdom, we are certainly architecs of culture. A culture that is healthy, fun, visionary and well-resourced will attract all kinds of great people. Your role on staff makes you an architect. You are drawing up pictures of the future for your staff team, the students in your Bible study, your summer project, your ministry partners. You are showing them how to build it as well - "What tools and materials do we need? Where will we put the doorways, windows and fountains?" You are doing this intentionally or unintentionally by the way you live, think and communicate. The culture you are creating comes from what you believe about the future and how you experience your life today.

Leaders are always looking for other leaders. Leadership is the one thing we always need more of. Leaders can raise money, they can cover new ground, they can bring new perspective, and they can find more leaders. If we design and build the right kind of culture, with God's help, we'll attract the right kind of leader.

As those on our staff invite students to join us, and students ponder the idea of this great cause, the biggest question on their minds is, “Do I want to be like you?” That is, can I see myself living your life? Can I be happy on staff? And, are you happy on staff?

So, here is a question. How is your staff experience? Are you happy on staff? How do you view the future? What kind of culture are you designing and building for yourself and those you lead?

Our outlook each day depends on a variety of factors. It has to do with our circumstances, relationships, emotional weather, theology, and perhaps a host of other things. All these factors form our daily “experience” – it is this daily experience that this article speaks to. Are we excited about the day? How about tomorrow? Are our best years ahead of us? Am I happy on staff – happy enough to stay and to enthusiastically invite others to join me?

We want to create the best experience - the best culture - possible for those we lead. Some of this is out of our control, but I believe as architects of the culture, we have a very unique, and powerful opportunity to help create the experience of others.

We want staff and students to have a wonderful experience as they serve here in the Northeast. For our purposes we have focused on the staff experience here. We've broken this experience down into five specific and practical categories that all of us can do something about. Realizing that our experience is always our own responsibility we certainly desire all our staff to feel the following about their staff life…

1. Atmosphere of faith and optimism
2. Spiritual, personal and professional growth
3. Healthy team environment
4. Ministry wins
5. Financial future

If our staff members experience these things in increasing measure, we feel confident that students will want to join them. Then, as we look at more direct recruiting ideas, like conferences, or even brochures, those tactics have a different kind of ethos. Even as students experience something parallel, they will more enthusiastically lead freshmen Bible studies and invite thier friends to join them for a conference or missions project.

1. The first is perhaps the most obvious, but the challenge of infusing our scope with vision and a sense that the best is yet to come can be more daunting than we realize. People forget the vision and get distracted by the obstacles that invariably get in the way. As the leader it's your job to remind them. That God is for us is our constant message and drum beat. We say it in different ways but we believe it ferociously: the greatest days for building God’s kingdom in the Northeast are just around the corner!

2. Not everybody feels like they are growing on staff – that’s because not everybody is! We can’t control that. But we can have a feedback rich environment. Building the systems by which this takes place is difficult. We need relevant, helpful, streamlined ways of giving good feedback – in a word that’s effectiveness. For now this means providing regular 360s, a growing use of Position Focuses, and coaching to help staff use their gifts. All this is on our critical path. For today, we are trying to work toward the consistency in this area that our region needs. Keep in mind that owning your development means that these tools will not always come from the "top down," - always take the initiative in your own growth.

3. Team health has been something we’ve renewed our commitment to as well. Team issues can be a major theme anywhere, and we desire to be unrelenting in the creation of teams that can get along and function at a high level. So, we are traveling to meet with our teams together. That way we can meet with all the individuals, do ministry with them, and hear their dreams and struggles. We can coach the teams better because we have collected more input and we have more brainpower solving the problems. You can renew your commitment to being a part of a healthy team by intentionally and humbly talking about anything that might stand in the way. Often times a good book on the topic of teams can help jump-start the process.

4. Everyone comes on staff to "win" at ministry. They want to see God use them. What's more, God says that He will (his word NEVER returns void). Still, when people are not as responsive as we'd like there is opportunity for discouragement. In the uniqueness of the Northeast we have a great opportunity to pursue being the best in the world at telling every student about Jesus. That doesn't mean were competing, it just means we need to take a long look at becoming evangelistic experts on the college campus. Perhaps we’ve lost something here. Honestly this is one of the reasons Judy and I made our move. If we want to see the gospel effectively spread around the planet, we need to see it move in complicated, diverse settings like the crowded but influential Northeast.

5. As the average age of staff members increases they become more concerned with their financial future. If we’re going to see them stay with us, and stay happy in the process, we’re going to need to help them get to full support and stay there. We can’t do life on the cheap – it is not fun. Hopefully we can create this environment too. As a leader you raise your own funding to participate in the mission. It is a great privilege but also a great responsibility. If it is helpful, take some time to analyze fears and motives that keep you from full support. Then figure out how much you need and start asking. Paul raised support, so did Jesus; you can too. Though this aspect of our experience may seem more unique to staff, intentional teaching and chances for faith steps on behalf of students (ie. rasing money for a conference or project) will build a great over-arching environment for trusting God with provision.

Designing and building the right culture is our job. We greet the challenge with enthusiasm. These things aren’t new, and I know that many of you are way down the road on all this. Please take some time to share how you are being an architect of culture, that way we can all glean from a collective wisdom.