Leadership Culture for the End-Time Church

Culture is defined as the shared values, goals, attitudes, and practices that characterize any organized group of people. A well-defined culture promotes momentum, creates unity, and provides identity and stability within the ranks.

First, we must define and understand the culture that Christ established throughout the gospels. Our culture can have its own unique expression, but it should not stray far from the ministry culture that Jesus modeled. If we embody the culture that Jesus established in the early Church, we can then tailor it to fit the specific emphasis and work that God has called us to.

When Jesus burst onto the scene in full-blown ministry, He immediately chose a diverse group of 12 followers to invest in and develop as emerging leaders. Jesus inspired His followers to leave everything behind to follow him. He taught them from the beginning the importance of laying down their lives and denying themselves. 

From the start, Jesus boldly challenged the current religious culture by teaching and preaching the kingdom of God and demonstrating kingdom power and authority. The mark of a believer is that signs and wonders will follow them. The gospel must be seen and experienced, not just heard.

Mark 16:15-18 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. ¹⁶ He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. ¹⁷ And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; ¹⁸ they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

What are we teaching others if our doctrines are only heard and not experienced? Power and demonstration will always accompany the true message of the gospel. If we are missing the fruit of the Holy Spirit’s power and demonstration in our gatherings, then we have a problem. This is not the Church culture that Jesus or His disciples modeled.

1 Corinthians 2:1-5 And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. ² For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. ³ I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. ⁴ And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, ⁵ that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

          In this passage, the apostle Paul admits to being weak and scared. It is OK to be weak and scared, that’s why God gave us a Comforter called the Holy Spirit. We also see that Paul didn’t come to them with a well-thought-out, three-point sermon with just the right amount of scripture, humor, wisdom, and persuasive language. He came in the demonstration of the Spirit and of power. Why? So that their faith would not be in his eloquent teaching and human wisdom, but in the power of God.

It is the power of God demonstrated through yielded vessels that cause people to follow Christ. Not just a well-crafted sermon that convinces people to pray a short prayer to get their ticket to Heaven. That was never modeled in scripture, yet it has become a common thing in the global Church culture.

It will take courage to challenge the current Church culture. End-time leaders must maintain an intimate personal relationship with the Father through personal devotion and prayer, focusing on the written word and guarding their hearts against all evil influence.

We cannot lead others to a place we have not been. So, the first order of business is to take an honest self-assessment and ask some pointed questions.

• Do I function in the power and demonstration of the Holy Spirit?
• Does my team?
• If not, what are we doing to rectify this problem?
• Are we crying out to God in prayer for the correction and instruction needed to facilitate change?
• Are we earnestly contending for the faith that was once delivered to the Saints? (Jude 3)
• If so, are we seeing measurable progress in this area?

Culture identifies what is important to a body of believers, reflecting the vision, values, and purpose. The power and demonstration of the Spirit must again become vitally important to the Church.

Every local assembly will have its unique expression in the body of Christ, and it is the leadership’s responsibility to identify and steward this expression. If we don’t base our culture on the patterns and practices established by Jesus and His disciples we will continue to be a weakened Church, straying further from truth and being subject to the bondage of men’s religious ideas.

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