It is not something that is written in any rules or printed on posters. However, you can see it in the way people greet each other and share their ideas, as well as in the sense of belonging they experience when they participate in church activities. The organisational culture of the church can be a source of unity, or conversely an invisible obstacle to collaboration.
When offering guidance on church life, the Bible encourages the community of faith to become “one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free,” based on the fact that “we were all given the one Spirit to drink” (1 Corinthians 12:13). This metaphor highlights that each member has their role to play in the growth of the community as a whole. Between metaphor and reality, however, Christian communities often face challenges such as a lack of communication, similar projects running separately, and even subtle forms of competition between groups.
The way we collaborate within the community of faith reflects our deep-seated values as well as our organisational preferences. Everything from visible gestures, such as how we support each other in projects, to the unspoken beliefs that guide us, builds a church culture that influences the effectiveness of the church’s mission. When the culture is healthy, collaboration is enjoyable and the church thrives. When the culture is deficient, however, collaboration becomes a chore and the church as a whole suffers.
As well as being described as a body, the church can also be likened to a large family. In this case, the organisational culture of the church is in fact the typical way in which church members live together. It is an amalgamation of values, working methods, and customs that we learn from each other, often unconsciously.
According to management experts such as Edgar Schein, this organisational culture has three layers. The first layer comprises artefacts—the things we see and feel, such as what the space looks like, how meetings are conducted, and the kinds of activities the church organises. The second layer comprises espoused values—what we say is important to us, such as the mission, biblical principles, and how we want to relate to one another. The third layer comprises underlying assumptions—deeply held beliefs that we rarely question and that guide our daily behaviour.
In a Christian community, these three layers are intertwined. For example, you might see a team of young people organising a service project (artefacts) because the church says that serving others is important (espoused value), and they all believe in their hearts that “it is more blessed to give than to receive” (underlying assumption).
Understanding these layers helps us see why change doesn’t come through just new rules or new projects. If we want to cultivate collaboration, we need to work at the root, at what we truly believe about each other and about the mission God has given us.
Understanding these layers helps us to see why change cannot be achieved simply by introducing new rules or projects. If we want to encourage collaboration, we need to address the fundamental beliefs we have about each other and the mission God has given us.
The impact of culture
Church culture can either propel its mission forward or slow it down. It determines how people get involved, how they share ideas, and how they respond to challenges.
A healthy culture creates an environment in which collaboration comes naturally. Members help each other without much explanation being needed. Ideas flow freely. Resources are used wisely and shared, and the atmosphere is one of trust and mutual respect, which keeps people engaged and motivated.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, a culture marked by suspicion, competition, or indifference permanently erodes unity, even if activities continue on the surface. This results in similar projects being developed in parallel, doubling the effort and energy expended by the community.
Scripture provides churches with numerous guidelines on organisational culture. One of the best-known recommendations comes from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippians: “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5). In other words, the atmosphere in the church should reflect Christ’s character, embodying the same humility, service, and openness to people as Jesus. Since we are talking about profound values when we talk about a church, these values need to penetrate deeply into the culture of the church in order to avoid a situation where collaboration is merely a management objective.
Collaboration as an expression of a healthy culture
Research in the field of organisational management has identified three elements which, when working together, produce authentic collaboration. These are inner disposition (openness to others), concrete actions (such as planning and dividing responsibilities), and visible results (completed projects and strengthened communities).
Recent studies distinguish between coordination (the orderly alignment of actions), cooperation (working towards a shared goal), and collaboration, which goes deeper, as it involves an ongoing process of working together, learning from each other, and finding solutions together. In other words, coordination can exist even between people who do not like each other very much, whereas collaboration requires trust and a shared vision.
Coordination can exist between people who dislike each other, but collaboration requires trust and a shared vision.
In the church, healthy collaboration depends not only on the authenticity of the relationship between members, but also on their shared values. The literature emphasises some of the most impactful such values.
Protecting and strengthening each other’s work—As recommended as early as 1902 by Ellen G. White, one of the leading figures of Adventism, each branch of the work should preserve its identity but build up the others.
“Let every department of our work, every institution connected with our cause, be conducted on considerate, generous lines. Let every branch of the work, while maintaining its own distinctive character, seek to protect, strengthen, and build up every other branch. Men of varied abilities and characteristics are employed for carrying forward the various branches of the work. This has always been the Lord’s plan.”
Knowledge sharing—As Terry Dwaine Robertson pointed out, leaders need ongoing training and mentoring, and a deficiency in these areas limits the potential of the entire mission.
Servant leadership—Studies show that servant leaders reduce organisational cynicism and encourage mutually supportive behaviours.
In practice, this can manifest as interdepartmental initiatives, interchurch projects, joint planning meetings, and, most importantly, the sharing of resources without keeping score of “who gets more.”
Unfortunately, experience shows that churches can sometimes fall into the trap of competing with each other. In a North American study, Paul Campoli observed that churches located just a few blocks apart began to view each other as rivals rather than as partners in spreading the Gospel. What can we learn from this? The culture of collaboration does not sustain itself—it must be intentionally cultivated.
A healthy culture sees the success of others not as a loss for oneself, but as a shared victory. When this mindset permeates all levels, collaboration ceases to be an occasional project and becomes second nature to the church.
The role of leaders in shaping culture
In any Christian community, leaders play a decisive role in shaping and maintaining the church’s culture. However, when discussing the role of leaders, it is important to note that, beyond their impact, their formal authority and administrative functions provide subtle examples and influence everyday decisions.
Sociologist David Bernard Foster found that church leaders have the greatest impact on the “deep layer” of culture—those core beliefs and assumptions that shape the behaviour of the entire community, even though they are not written down anywhere. Members can contribute to changing espoused values or artefacts, but real, lasting transformation occurs when leaders influence and inspire at this deep level.
In the Adventist Church, Stan Patterson emphasised that pastors have spiritual authority, not controlling authority—they are not “managers” of members, but stewards of the trust and calling that God has entrusted to them. This perspective is similar to what leadership literature refers to as “servant leadership.”
Research by Jerry Chi and his colleagues shows that leaders who lead through service contribute to lower levels of cynicism and increased mutually supportive behaviours. Martínez Soto further adds that such leadership stimulates knowledge sharing and aligns personal values with those of the community. This creates an environment in which members feel that their spiritual needs are being met, resulting in their motivation to work towards common goals.
So, what does this mean in practical terms for any church?
The leader sets the tone for the whole community, so the way he or she talks about other churches or departments is important.
The leader creates contexts by initiating joint meetings, encouraging partnerships, and welcoming ideas from others.
The leader models values by openly owning mistakes, sharing resources, and seeking solutions that benefit the entire Body of Christ.
Perhaps most importantly, leaders must remember that their positions are “loaned rather than owned,” as Patterson says. This awareness fosters humility, openness, and a desire to build not for one’s own image, but for the Kingdom of God.
Practical steps for cultivating a healthy culture
A healthy church culture does not happen on its own. It is the result of repeated daily choices that, over time, set the tone for the entire community. From both a research perspective and field experience, here are some concrete steps that can help any church develop a culture in which collaboration is enjoyable:
1. Identify the existing culture
As the sociologist Edgar Schein points out, we must first understand what already exists before we can change anything. Ask yourself: What behaviours are encouraged here? What customs are passed down from generation to generation? What assumptions do we automatically make about our mission and about others? These questions reveal our underlying assumptions.
2. Align stated values with lived values
Saying that we are “working together for the Gospel” is not enough if, in reality, each department operates in isolation. Leaders have a key role to play here: building bridges between people and ensuring that message and practice go hand in hand.
3. Create real opportunities for collaboration
Research shows that partnerships are not formed by positive statements alone. They are formed when people have the opportunity to work together on interdepartmental projects, interchurch campaigns, and joint training, for example. TD Robertson emphasised the need for mentoring and knowledge sharing, both of which can be cultivated through such opportunities.
4. Communicate openly and consistently
As Paul Campoli pointed out, a lack of communication can fuel competition between churches. Establishing an open channel of communication through which both needs and successes can be shared can prevent isolation and suspicion.
5. Recognise and celebrate each other’s successes
A healthy culture sees the success of another church or department as a shared victory. Words of encouragement, prayers for others’ work, and public celebrations foster a climate of trust.
6. Learn from mistakes instead of hiding them
When a project doesn’t go according to plan, openly acknowledging it and sharing an analysis can provide valuable learning opportunities, rather than causing discouragement. This strengthens both a culture of transparency and collaboration.
The bottom line
A healthy church culture is evident in how each member, whether a leader or a newcomer, interacts with others, demonstrating respect, a commitment to service, and a belief that the mission is more important than personal prestige.
It’s true that transforming a church’s culture doesn’t happen overnight. It is the cumulative result of our words, how we view each other, and how we relate to the mission God has entrusted to us. However, we ourselves also have a role to play in this transformation. We can choose to listen more, share what we know, support others’ projects, and rejoice sincerely in their successes.
