You may hear about a company culture, but what about your ministry culture? How do you develop a culture that is unique?

The uniqueness of your culture will be based on your people and those people that they serve.

Develop your own vocabulary. Feel free to integrate words from other cultures. We use words like chindians (someone who can be a chief or an Indian), dessert (the things about our job description we like best), and vegetables (the things about our job description we like least).

Create an inside joke or running gag. As long as everyone on your team is in on it, it becomes part of your culture.

Share the highs and the lows. These events become the defining moments of your ministry culture. Remember the highs and lows with some type of memorial— anything from a plaque to a framed penny can be a memory help.

Talk about the history and dream of the future. People like the context of life.

Developing a Can-do Spirit

Nix the drama. Some folks can make every situation a crisis. If every day is a crisis, there is really no crisis at all. Getting too emotional about a problem makes others think you are just crying wolf.

Enthusiasm is contagious. If your example is one of gloom and doom, it will be impossible to have a can-do spirit among your team. Lead your team with enthusiasm. It may take some time, but people will catch it.

Thou shalt not whine. Chronic complaining can be a bad habit. Whining has a tendency to be repeated. Before you know it, people are whining about something they don’t know anything about. Keep your complaints to yourself.

What are you saying to yourself? Some people will beat themselves up all day for picking the slow line. If you make a mistake, you can learn from it. Mistakes are an opportunity to grow, not a chance to wallow in the past.