Shaping a gospel culture
When people think of revitalization, they often think of strategy: new plans, new programs, new ideas. But revitalization isn’t first strategic. It’s cultural.
You can have the right systems and still bear little fruit if your church culture is unhealthy. Conversely, a healthy culture can carry a church through seasons when structures are still catching up.
What Is Church Culture?
Church culture is the shared set of values, habits, and assumptions that shape the life of a congregation. It’s “how things are done around here.” And whether we name it or not, every church has one.
In revitalization, the goal is to cultivate a culture centered around the gospel—a culture of humility, prayer, repentance, generosity, and Spirit-led mission.
From Romans 12 to Your Church’s DNA
Romans 12:1–2 offers a stunning picture of personal renewal: offering our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. But Paul’s vision is also communal. The renewed mind leads to transformed community life (see Romans 12:3–21).
Church revitalization mirrors this. When people are changed, the church’s culture changes. Gossip is replaced with grace. Division gives way to unity. Cynicism is overcome by hope.
And from that new culture, structure can finally shift without sabotage.
Three Questions to Shape Gospel Culture
What do we celebrate?
Do we praise faithfulness, service, and spiritual growth—or just attendance and performance?
Practical application: Start celebrating the unsung heroes—those who quietly serve week in and week out. Share their stories during services, in newsletters, or on social media. Highlight testimonies of life transformation, answered prayer, and long-term faithfulness. Train your leaders to affirm heart attitudes and spiritual growth, not just outward success.
What do we tolerate?
Are we willing to confront sin, bad behavior, or toxic patterns in love?
Practical application: Establish a biblical, grace-filled framework for addressing sin and conflict. Train leaders and volunteers in healthy confrontation, Matthew 18-style reconciliation, and restorative discipline. Hold even longtime members accountable with humility and consistency. Model repentance from the top down, making confession a normal part of church life.
What do we pray for?
Our prayers reveal our priorities. Do they reflect a desire for revival or just survival?
Practical application: Shift corporate prayer from reactive to visionary. Lead your congregation in praying for lost people by name, for marriages to be restored, for bold gospel witness, and for a fresh move of the Holy Spirit. Create space in worship gatherings for spontaneous or guided prayer. Equip small groups and ministry teams to intercede regularly for spiritual renewal, not just practical needs.
Grace & Peace
