the    sides

This is from the Beautiful Day Conference breakout session titled Shifting Culture of Your Church, led by Steve Clifford and Gary Gaddini.

Some background on Steve Clifford. Gary Gaddini is the lead pastor of Peninsula Covenant Church in Redwood, California.

Steve was comfortable not knowing “what” he was going to do to bring about the changes he wanted. He knew the “how” and the “why” and was comfortable just following Jesus on the “What”.

The Why - we make disciples who make disciples because Jesus did this, commanded this, lived this.

The How - relationally, in community

The “What” - would have to be organic. He let people come up with those ideas and then championed opportunities.

Steve: By focusing on the WHAT, it forces you to defend a program - not the WHY & HOW.

When shifting a church culture, some things will have to die. You don’t have to kill them, they die without leadership focus over time. If the ministry doesn’t have a reproducing leader mindset, it will die and we will let it die.

PUT LESS OF AN EMPHASIS ON SUNDAYS AND MORE ON MON-SAT. Sundays are not the end-all of being a Christ Follower, yet that is the message we give via our budget, our programs and our focus and time. They even thought about meeting every-other week and focusing on community groups and compassion on the off weeks.

Stop saying “Come and See” and start saying “Go and Be.”

Westgate’s budget goal - after 9yrs we want to be operating on 50% of our giving and giving away to compassion areas the other 50%. They’ve planted that dream and water it constantly.

Gary asked 4 questions of every “member.”
Where is God working in your life?
Where is your passion growing?
What character traits do you want to have or improve in the next 5 years?
How can we be praying for you?

The character traits questions forced them to see discipleship as people-development, not just seminars and programs.

GE’s Take:
Steve’s comment of he knew the why and the how but not the what was like a great big pat on the back from God. That has been exactly the philosophy I’ve lived out in ministry. That philosophy can create some friction and frustration with some people who think that the “leader” ought to know the what. For them, that’s part of being a great leader - knowing the WHAT.

The WHAT will have more power, longevity and be more effective if it’s figured out in community with key values driving the dream (the WHY and the HOW). It’s slower doing ministry that way, that is true. I think it’s worth it.

The other issue is this - as a pastor, I can keep my ‘prophetic’ voice by stressing the WHY and HOW. Those are non-negotiable values that have been mined from scripture. I don’t have to defend the WHAT. The WHAT should always be evaluated against the WHY and HOW.