440. Building a Culture
Last week’s multiplication ceremony was great. Not only do we have a new shepherd, but I, personally, was thankful for how the atmosphere was genuinely celebratory. I thought about why, and I came to realize that our culture, which is shaped by house church ministry, has been deeply established. I believe we have come a long way, and I sense that more of our members understand what house church is, and therefore, what is worthy of celebrating.
In the book called “Good to Great”, the author describes a concept called “Flywheel Effect”. Basically, a heavy flywheel in the playground is difficult to rotate at first. But as you exert continuous effort, at some point, it becomes a bit easier to rotate than at the beginning. And once there is momentum, it gets easier to spin it with each round. In the same way, in any organization, creating a culture is like rotating a massive flywheel. It takes significant effort to build a desirable culture, but consistent, disciplined behaviours create momentum and make sustaining the winning culture easier.
It is very difficult to build a good culture. It takes a few people who are passionate about a value, believe in it, and keep working at it. Through trials and errors, through setbacks and disappointments, they keep at it. And once a culture is built, it feels easier to reproduce the value because now the culture begins to drive people’s behaviours, and determines what needs to be praised. Even though it took a while to build a house church centric culture, I am glad to see that now the culture is in place.
The downside of culture is that once it is set, it is difficult to change. But that can work as positive if the culture is gospel-shaped and biblical. As long as the culture stays missional, it can be sustained and improved. Those who come later will enjoy the culture that is already built. But it behooves us to reflect and be grateful for those who have sacrificed their time and energy to build it when there wasn’t one. It will help us to continue to spin the wheel in the right direction. When we don’t recognize how the culture was built, it is easy to break it down without even knowing, as the culture always “slowly” breaks down. By the time everyone notices, it is usually too late.
