What Kind of Church Are We, Really?

Building a Culture of Care

A church's actual culture shows up in what it reinforces, measures, tolerates, and practices. This course helps pastors and elders assess their church honestly against three culture types (transactional, traditional, transformational) and identify what is driving the current one. You will leave with a specific reading of your own church and a starting point for change.

1 hour

11 units

3 sections

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What You'll Work Through

Each unit is a conversation, not a page to read. The tutor asks you to explain, apply, and work with the material until it holds.

Chapter 1: What Culture Actually Is

Section 1.1: The Leader as Culture Steward

Culture is what a church reinforces, measures, tolerates, and practices, not what it declares
Ephesians 4:11-13 makes leaders equippers of the saints, not the sole street-level ministers
Leaders are culture stewards who set the bar for the disciples their church produces

Section 1.2: The Foundations Beneath the Culture

Theological convictions drive philosophical clarity and methodological consistency
The five core values as the load-bearing walls of a transforming church
Culture is what a church reinforces, measures, tolerates, and practices, not what it declares

Chapter 2: Naming the Three Cultures

Section 2.1: Transactional, Traditional, Transformative

The three church cultures: transactional, traditional, transformative
Diagnosing a transactional culture: the gym membership nobody uses
Contrasting traditional and transformative cultures: the strong head with a small heart versus the family table

Chapter 3: Measuring the Gap

Section 3.1: Assessing and Scoring Your Culture

Scoring a vignette across the eight assessment dimensions (1-5 each)
Defending a culture score against the temptation to rate for hope rather than reality