2 Tests To Reveal What Your Church Really Values

What your church (or any organization) really values is revealed when you look at : where you put your money and your time.

Ignore your carefully crafted list of values for now. Maybe you want to value those things--good for you. Do you know what your organization currently values? Answer these questions and you'll pretty much know.

TIME EVALUATION

What ministry forms get the most time in Sunday services? (Sunday is the prime time with the most people involved, so 20 min here is more way more precious than 20 min on Thu evening.)

How is the staff time spent (how much on each ministry)?

How is the volunteer time spent? (A harsh truth is that volunteer time counts less than staff time--we put our precious few staff on the what we value most.)

MONEY EVALUATION

What is the church budget--where is the money spent? Who gets the most?

What ministry positions are paid positions (and which are volunteer)?

Who decides how the money is spent?

Oh, and if you're trying to change your culture and establish new values--you'd better address these questions. Any effort to change your culture and values that doesn't include a change in how you spend your time and handle your money will suffer. Time and money are such powerful forces in your culture and can make or break your efforts to grow maturity.

Don't just preach another sermon about your new values--make a change to your weekly schedule and staff budgets.