Changing Your Congregational Ethos: It's Not an Overnight Job

Your congregational ethos is the dog that’s wagging the tail (which is as it should be). The problem is that any strategy for growing your church that you might propose is subject to that ethos. As Jim Collins of Good to Great fame wrote, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast and lunch.” That culture he’s talking about IS your congregational ethos. And it’ll either propel your strategies forward or shut them down completely.

Let’s face it: too many church members, and indeed too many churches, carry an attitude of entitlement rather than commitment. They act as if they’ve paid their admission price and now the rest of the church has to coddle and cow-tow to their every whim.

These church members come to church (when it’s convenient), sit down in their pews, drop a twenty-dollar bill (or a thousand-dollar check – it makes no difference) into the offering plate, and then sit back and relax. The thought of helping prepare the church building for worship, cleaning up afterward, stepping up to lead a small group, or taking a turn in the childcare area simply doesn’t cross their minds. This isn’t just a behavior problem; it’s a congregational ethos that pervades many if not most, congregations.

If this were an isolated incident, that would be one thing. But across North America, churches imbue this entitlement ethos. And though there may be a few in the pews who wish things would change, changing an organization’s ethos never begins with a grassroots effort. Corporate culture change is a top-down enterprise that has trickle-down effects … with an emphasis on trickle. Changing your congregational ethos occurs slowly.

The key to launching the ethos change is for the leadership to conspicuously reflect the congregational core values without complaint, not even under their breaths or in their psyches. Wayne Cordeiro, founding pastor of New Hope Oahu – a church that met in a high school from its inception in 1995 – is fond of saying, “If you don’t serve the Lord with gladness, you serve the enemy” (Deuteronomy 28:47–48).

Wayne models this ethos creation by immediately relieving any set-up or take-down volunteer who complains or acts out their frustration.[1] The result of his firm boundaries, his modeling, and his insistence that leaders and volunteers alike reflect a joyful attitude of extravagant generosity is a congregational ethos of warmth, cooperation, and commitment. With an average attendance of over 14,000 every weekend and with the expectation that the Levites (the set-up and break-down crews) serve with joy from their 1 AM Saturday morning start time, his methods and his modeling have become a paradigm shifter for transforming many churches’ congregational ethos.

However, modeling alone will not shift your congregational ethos. St. Francis’ misused quote, “Preach the gospel always and when necessary use words,” will not a convert make, nor will it change a congregation’s ethos. The shift from entitlement to commitment will take serious teaching, preaching, conversations, and accountability-holding. 

Modeling alone will not shift a congregation’s ethos.

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Creating Culture Change

The following bullet points will aid your church’s leadership team plan an intentional ethos-changing strategy.

• Adopt a Congregational Covenant of Conduct that includes a covenant of participation and support.
• Adopt a meaningful Leadership Covenant – and insist that all leaders publicly sign the covenant (typically during the annual leadership installation service)
• Create a banner/flag or two for display in the worship center, the hallways, etc. that proclaim the congregational ethos of commitment.
• Preach at least two sermon series each year on what it means to be a committed disciple of Jesus Christ – and highlight the expectation of congregational participation and support. (Go through each point of your Congregational Covenant of Conduct and get buy-in from the platform.)
• Teach commitment in your Discovery Class and provide an opportunity during the class to make a commitment to one of the congregation’s ministries (Discovery Class is where guests and members discover their spiritual gifts and passions and then are connected with ministry opportunities to serve).
• Hold leaders accountable for all of the covenants and quickly remove those who are either unable or unwilling to model the covenants.
• Deal with conflict using Jesus’ plan of reconciliation as found in red letters in Matthew 18:15–17 – and summarized by the Apostle Paul in Titus 3:10.
• Adopt and model the Deuteronomy 28:47–48 mandate of serving joyfully. Those who are unable to serve joyfully should take the morning off from their duties and the congregation in order to prayerfully get their lives and priorities in order.

Changing your congregational ethos is no small feat, but it’s absolutely possible with intentionality, perseverance, and a clear vision. It begins with leadership that understands the power of culture and is willing to take the steps necessary to shift it over time. Whether it’s through modeling the desired behaviors, building trust, or fostering deep spiritual connections, the transformation happens gradually—one step, one relationship, and one breakthrough at a time. Remember, your congregational ethos defines not only how it functions internally but also how it reflects Christ to the community around it. By committing to the process, you’re not just reshaping a church; you’re creating a lasting legacy of mission and ministry that can reach far beyond your walls.

Get your copy of the Church Covenants Template and start transforming your congregational ethos today.

Question: What else would you add to your congregational ethos-changing strategy? Share your ideas in the Comments section below.