Values Driven Culture Honor, Humility, Hunger, Holiness, Health "For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 1:8, ESV) As a church, we preach two messages. First, there is the message we share from the platform, discuss in our groups, and teach in our classrooms. Then there is the message we share with our very lives. This is the way we welcome our guests, engage with one another, pray for one another, and challenge each other. It's the way we live, not just as individuals but as an organization. When a culture is healthy, those two messages align and reinforce one another. When a culture is unhealthy, they create an obvious conflict. As important as both are, if I had to choose between the two in terms of their effect on a house, I would say the message experienced off the platform is far more potent. Ultimately, people see it louder in us than they hear it from us. Culture wins 100% of the time! We've talked a lot about our culture. It's printed on our walls and shared in leadership talks. But is it hanging in our hearts? 2 Peter 1:8 follows a list of virtues that culminates with a charge not just to know them but to grow them in your life. Peter says these things produce a life that is both effective and fruitful. Peter is asking more than can you name your values; he is asking can people see them in your life! A Kingdom Culture Our values were not randomly chosen. They are drawn from the values of the kingdom. After all, if a church is an expression of the kingdom, shouldn't it look like, sound like, and behave like the kingdom? Honor invites Heaven. "Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel." (Psalm 22:3, ESV) We give God and others our best because God gave His best. This begins with honoring God in worship and extends to the way we treat people. Honor shows up in our preparation, our words, and our response when someone disappoints us. We can address a problem without diminishing a person. Humility gives access. "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." (James 4:6, ESV) We seek to serve, not be served. Humility keeps us teachable. It allows us to receive correction, admit when we are wrong, and ask for help. We do not have to be the most important person in the room to make an important contribution. Hunger is how we receive. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." (Matthew 5:6, ESV) We never stop asking God for more. More of His presence. More growth in righteousness. More of what He wants to do in us and through us. We cannot become so familiar with the work of ministry that we lose our hunger for the God of ministry. Holiness is how we remain. "Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord." (Hebrews 12:14, ESV) We show people what Jesus is really like. Holiness means our lives belong to Him. We do not separate our public ministry from our private obedience. What we carry into the sanctuary should agree with what we carry into our homes, our conversations, and our decisions. Health is how we thrive. "I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." (John 10:10, ESV) Healthy lives build healthy homes, teams, and churches. The abundant life Jesus gives reaches beyond what we accomplish at work. We want people to flourish in Him. That means paying attention to our relationships, our pace, and the way we care for one another. A healthy life, a healthy home, a healthy church! The Value of Values There are at least six ways clear values serve us. They give us more than words to repeat. They give us a way to lead. 1. Decisions — What do we choose? Values help us choose at the moment of decision. When values are clear, you do not have to reinvent the answer every time. "Should we say this?" "How should we handle this?" "Is this worth doing?" Values are a filter. They pre-decide many of our decisions by settling what matters before the pressure arrives. 2. Diagnostics — What is wrong? Values help us name what is out of alignment. When something feels off, our values give us a common set of questions. Was that honoring? Did it reflect humility? Have we settled, or are we still hungry to grow? Are we showing people what Jesus is like? Is this helping us become healthy? Without values, you know something feels wrong. With values, you can name why. Then we can address the actual issue instead of simply reacting to the feeling. 3. Discipline — What do we correct? Values tell us which behaviors we must correct. This is huge for culture. You do not correct merely because someone upset you. You correct when a behavior violates what the house has agreed matters. "This is who we are; therefore, this is behavior we cannot normalize." Correction should carry the very values it is protecting. If we correct dishonor with dishonor, we reinforce the problem. What we celebrate gets repeated. What we tolerate gets repeated too. 4. Development — What do we cultivate? Values tell us what kind of people we are trying to form. You hire for them. You onboard around them. You coach toward them. You evaluate through them. And you promote those who embody them. As a leader, don't underestimate or underuse this. You do not need to invent a new set of leadership values every time you develop someone. Continue developing these values in those you lead. Greater responsibility should be accompanied by growing character, not just greater skill. Our values must be more than corrective. They must be developmental! 5. Distinction — What makes us us? Values give our shared convictions a recognizable expression. Culture is the particular way Grace World lives our convictions together. These kingdom qualities are not exclusive to us, but the way we consistently embody them should make our house recognizable. You should be able to walk through the halls, attend meetings, watch conflict get resolved, experience a Sunday, and say, "That feels like Grace World." That recognition should come from the way people are treated, not just the name on the building. 6. Direction — How do we move toward the vision? Values guide how we pursue our calling. Vision tells us where we are going. Values tell us how we will travel there. Our vision is Revival. Our mission is Life. Our message is Jesus. We exist to help people discover life in all its fullness. Our values describe the kind of people we must become as we pursue that calling. We teach people to honor God and others. We show them how to serve one another. We encourage them to encounter God and experience all He has for them. We show them what Jesus is really like, and we help them grow in the abundant life He promised. Simply put, we live, teach, and develop a kingdom culture. How we pursue the vision must agree with the message we preach. Put Our Values To Work Our values work if we will work our values. I want to give you permission and a charge to put these to work in the hallways, classrooms, and sanctuary—and in the office, the meeting, and the conversation no one else hears. Before your next decision, use the values as a filter. When a guest needs help, give them your attention and take responsibility for helping them connect. When a teammate brings correction, listen before you defend yourself. When you prepare to serve, make room to pray instead of relying only on what you already know. When you see something out of alignment, address it with honor and humility. A healthy culture learns to correct itself because people take responsibility for what they carry. Begin with yourself. Speak directly and graciously to the person involved, and bring matters that need leadership involvement to the appropriate leader. When you see a value being lived well, name it. Tell someone, "That was honoring," or, "I saw humility in the way you handled that." Let our values become the language of our encouragement as well as our correction. And when you develop someone, give them something concrete to practice. Do not just tell them to be humble. Invite them to receive feedback. Do not just tell them to honor people. Show them how to handle a difficult conversation. Do not just tell them to pursue health. Help them recognize a pace or pattern that needs attention. Values tell us how we behave when no policy exists, no supervisor is present, and the answer is not obvious. That is where we discover whether the values are hanging on the wall or living in our hearts. Questions 1. Where have you seen one of these values lived well? Where have you seen one violated? 2. What is one action you can name and carry out this week that would put our values to work? 3. Which value needs to become more visible in me?
