Cult Like Culture

Back in 1999 I received a phone call. A church in California – a church that had grown from 2 people to over 2,000 in only a few years – was inviting me to come out with my family and experience their church. They liked to bless church planters by giving them a little time away and an opportunity to learn from their church. Was I interested? Ummm, yes.

We flew out and I got to spend two days with their staff, one staff member at a time, about 30 minutes each, interviewing them on whatever I wanted. This church was wildly successful and so I asked each person, “What’s the vision of this church?” “What’s allowed it to accomplish so much so fast?” “What’s the reason for the success?”

I met with about 25 staff members and it got weird, fast. I asked person after person the same questions, and person after person gave me the same answers! And I’m not talking kinda the same, or pretty similar, no, I’m talking an almost word-for-word, broken record, “cult like culture” kind of thing.

At the time I thought it was a little weird, but looking back I’d say it’s actually a big part of the reason they were successful. It’s what Will Mancini calls “vision clarity” and it’s a critical factor in the success of every effective church. And if your church wants to be effective in accomplishing God’s mission, you need vision clarity, and may need a vision clarity coach.

To learn more or get help with vision clarity in your church, I strongly encourage you to check out auxano.