Culture is the water an organization swims in. It’s made up of the stories people tell, the behaviors they reward, the conflicts they avoid and the assumptions they protect. Over time, a leader may discern the need for the culture to change in order to confront new challenges or to take advantage of new opportunities. But with so many factors influencing a church’s culture, leading change can feel overwhelming. Where does a leader begin?   

Several researchers tackled this question in Harvard Business Review and came up with a theory about how to lead culture change. Instead of trying to change everything at once, they recommend that leaders focus on one high-impact behavior. In a congregation, that might mean addressing the way members triangulate staff, low volunteerism, or open conflict in congregational meetings.   

The studies have found that most leaders will have more than a few behaviors to choose from. The key is to choose one that makes an outsized impact on the church’s culture.  

The next step is to come up with a theory of how you will change that behavior. Ask others what barriers prevent this change from happening and search for inspiration from other congregations and organizations dealing with similar challenges. The third step is to propose an intervention. For example, develop practices you can turn to in a congregational meeting when unhealthy conflict emerges. Finally, put the intervention into action.   

Culture change is notoriously difficult because so much goes into shaping culture: facts, emotions, explicit values and unspoken beliefs. That is why disciplined focus matters. When leaders consistently name the chosen behavior, model alternatives, and reinforce new norms, people notice. Small wins create credibility. Over time, repetition reshapes expectations about “how we do things here.” Eventually, change sticks not because everything shifted at once, but because something significant shifted on purpose. 

Resources

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Before you go

My late uncle gave me a book on church administration many years ago. He was a pastor and I had just transitioned from a very small congregation to a program-sized church. Inside the front cover, he wrote, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” His inscription isn’t as well defined as the research I shared above, but it influenced me in a similar way. I interpreted my uncle’s message to be a word of caution and strategic wisdom. He wanted me to know that I was not going to be able to change everything at one time or overnight. I needed to exercise wisdom and discernment.  

I have a feeling that my uncle would have supported the idea of identifying high-impact issues as a good place to begin making change. He understood what it took me years to appreciate: If you push forward too many changes at once, you fracture trust. Move too slowly, and you reinforce complacency. The art of leadership is understanding the right pace. Culture shifts when leaders combine patience with persistence. Rome wasn’t built in a day, but it was built with intention. 

You can always reach me and the Alban Weekly team at alban@duke.edu. Until next week, keep leading!