Every organisation has it, many have a culture they don’t want, many know the culture they want but don’t know how to get it. But what is it?. Culture is what makes us who we are. It is the accumulation of shared values, beliefs, experiences etc. Culture develops over time, simply stated it is a way of doing and being, better stated it is our way of doing and being. “The way we do things around here.”

Culture is not just the way we DO things, culture is who we are.

Culture is important because it shapes the Why, What and How of what we do.

culture check out this pdf diagram…

Culture starts with our beliefs and assumptions, our values. We act a certain way because we believe a certain thing, because we live a certain way. Our core values and beliefs drive us forward. These beliefs develop our Norms, our behaviours, the way we do things and these together are reflected in our signs, symbols, ceremonies, celebrations, songs and rewards.

Beliefs and Assumptions:

Working with the diagram above our beliefs and assumptions could be characterised as follows.

• Human Flourishing: If we are successful people will do well in life. People flourish best in a relationship with Jesus.
• We Achieve Human Flourishing by: Building relevant contemporary churches, reaching people with the message of Jesus and equipping them to live successful Christian Lives.
• The Atmosphere within which our work is carried out is reflected by our values:
  – We Are Generous: We give and then we give again.
  – We Are Creative: We always find a way.
  – We Are Empowering. We give responsibility and encourage ownership in all areas of life.
  – We Are Passionate. We throw ourselves all in because it really matters.
  – We Are Positive. We live by faith believing and speaking the best.

This is the core of who we are, the why at the centre of our world.