What's Your Ministry DNA?

Churches have a certain feel to them. Walk into one church and it's friendly and laid back. Visit another and it's more formal and liturgical. Every church feels different. That's what I'd call church DNA. It's the visible and invisible culture of a church or ministry.

Ever think about how your church "feels" to the people to attend? To visitors? My guess is that the first time you entered your building or attended a church service, you thought a ton about it. You wondered if it felt right to you. You carefully critiqued the atmosphere, the people and the services. You wanted to know if you could feel at home at the church. You explored its DNA.

We either resonate with the DNA of a church or ministry or we don't. So, what if you're the leader and you don't like some of the things you discover about your DNA? Well, it can be changed, but be prepared for an intentional and lengthy change process, because DNA shifts require time, patience and visionary leadership.

For the most part, DNA is discovered, not decided. Ultimately changes over a long period of time can alter the DNA of your church or ministry, but for the most part, your church DNA is set. If you've always been known as the most friendly church in town, it's unlikely that you'll suddenly become unfriendly. If you've always valued solid Bible teaching, you're not going to give that up. But once you discover and understand your DNA, you can work with it...not against it.

Why not throw your energy behind your reputation as a "compassionate, friendly, authentic, forward-thinking church?" Or whatever positives your church is known for. It makes sense to build on those attributes of your church God is already using to move people toward Christ.