Case Study: A Christian Reformed Church

Who Did We Help?

A Christian Reformed Church located in the Dutch community of Western Michigan that had been serving the community for over 50 years. The church has 800+ members and is known for its meaningful worship and instruction, and fantastic missions support.

What Was the Opportunity?

After a 4-year absence in leadership, the church invited a new pastor to lead the church. The new dynamic leader and Pastor wanted to ensure the church would be united in a common mission and vision as they moved forward together.

What Did We Do?

CultureMD created a Culture Task Force that consisted of a dozen or so leaders (Pastor, Elders, Deacons, Administration etc...) who met in the evenings over a period of months and established a new:

• Mission - That succinctly described their purpose for being
• Vision - That made everyone want to get out of bed in the morning
• Values - Established a handful of core values that not only reflect their faith, but are used to check each other's behaviors and actions

The Culture Task Force presented their findings and recommendations to the entire church leadership and then finally to the church membership at large with full support.

What Was The Result?

Today, this Christian Reformed Church remains an established church in the community that has a breath of fresh air in her sails. The new pastor's dynamic style is supported by the church at large as they all have a common Mission, Vision and succinct set of Values that act as guardrails on the highway of life.

What Did We All Learn?

Change commonly invokes fear. When fear is not addressed effectively, it leads to chaos and discord. However, when the change is met with a clear directive that engages and includes those directly involved, people are more eager to join in and support the change, rather than run from it.