Discovering and Developing the Ministry Style of Your Church

By Philip D. Douglass

Church Personality

Community Context Theological Convictions

Three Elements of Church personality?

Philosophyof

Ministry

Concrete Subconscious and intangible Works quietly behind the scenes like the

operating system on a computer Nonverbal communication

PRACTICAL

INNOVATIVE

ANAL

YTIC

ALCO

NN

ECTION

ALExpressive

FellowshipOrganizer

Strategizer

Entrepreneurial Relational

Inspirational

Adventurous

Core Convictions

Gal. 1:9

Doctrinal Distinctives

Debatable Matters

Romans 14:5

1 Cor. 10:23-30

Church focused upon freedom of expression, spontaneity, flexibility, creativity, and acting quickly in a crisis.

Church focused upon responsibility, tradition,

maintaining order, attention to details, and subordination to

authority.

5 4 3 2 1 1 2 3 4 5

Intolerance of church personality differences

Tolerance of churchPersonality differences.

Information-gathering

Personal observation vs. intuition

Decision-making

Objective Analysis vs. Based on values

Lifestyle

Planed and structured vs. casual and informal

PRACTICAL Pay attention to

facts, details and current reality

INNOVATIVE Preference for

working with information on the basis of its meaningfulness, originality, and future possibilities

ANALYTICAL Deal with

information on the basis of its structure and function

CONNECTIONAL Interact with

information on the basis of its dynamism and potential for enhancing relationships

STRUCTURED Motivated into

action proactively on the basis of planning

FLEXIBLE Motivated into

action through responding to changes in events

Practical Churches are influenced by leaders

who:

Innovative churches are influenced by leaders

who:Live in the “here and now” Prefer to live in the past and the

future

Work well with facts and details Are interested in new and unusual experienced

Like realistic challenges and problem solving

Do no like routine

Are experience and action-oriented Are attracted to theory rather than practice

Are realistic and matter-of-fact

Analytical churches are influenced by leaders who:

Connectional churches are influenced by leaders who:

Are interested in systems, structures, patterns

Are interested in people and their feelings

Like to expose issues to logical analysis

Easily communicate their moods to others

Can be aloof and unemotional Pay attention to relationships

Are likely to evaluate issues through their intellect and decide on the basis of right and wrong

Tend to evaluate issues through their ethical system and decide on the basis of good and bad

May have difficulty talking about emotions

Can be sensitive to rebuke

May not work as diligently at clearing up arguments or quarrels

May tend to give compliments to please people

Structured churches are influenced by leaders who:

Flexible churches are influenced by leaders who:

Do not like to leave many unanswered questions

May act impulsively in their ministry

Are likely to plan their work ahead and finish it in a timely fashion

Can do more things at once without feeling compelled to finish them

Make an effort to be exact in what they do

Prefer to be free from long-term obligations

Do not like to change their decisions once they are made

Are curious and like taking a fresh look at things

Are likely to demonstrate stable work habits

Are likely to work according to their mood

Easily follow rules and discipline Often act without much preparation

FLEXIBLE

FLEXIBLE

STRU

CTU

RED

STRUCTU

REDExpressive

FellowshipOrganizer

Strategizer

Entrepreneurial Relational

Inspirational

Adventurous

Characteristics of the Fellowship Church

Strong Points • Listening to people and understanding their feelings• Valuing teamwork and harmony with others in the church• Following-though on projects

Challenges •Can be oversensitive to criticism•May take on too many projects•May struggle to respond to changing needs and

opportunities

Primary Ministries • Ministries of mercy, helps and compassion• Children’s ministry

Ministry Tempo • Deliberate and relaxed

What Inspires Them • Involvement in ministries that genuinely help people in practical ways

What De-motivates Them

• Insensitivity and impatience with people• Disrespect for tradition and authority • Disharmony

Characteristics of the Fellowship Church(Cont.)

Under Stress • Can feel overwhelmed• Become more submissive to authoritative people

Decision-making • Through consensus building

Desire • Acceptance and approval from people important to them• Peach and agreement in the church

Priority • Organize ministries to do what is best for people

Church Ethos • Personal• Relational• Loyal

Outward Appearance

• More formal and traditional

Gain Confidence Through

• Friendships• Cooperation• Serving

Fear • Sudden change

Characteristics of the Inspirational Church

Strong Points • Take their biblical values seriously and want others to do the same

• Loyalty, commitment, and responsibility are essential values

Challenges • Take communication for granted—believing they are understood and their good intentions are accepted as genuine

• Just as they are accepting, they assume others are accepting towards them

Primary Ministries • Instruction and discipleship that relates to people, their needs, and Christ-centered aspirations

Ministry Tempo • Rapid pace, highly relational

What Inspires Them • A ministry environment that is people oriented, supportive, and organized

What De-motivates Them

• Ministries being disorganized, indecisive, and haphazard

Characteristics of the Inspirational Church(Cont.)

Under Stress • Looks for faults rather than solutions• Disconnects from people• Discontinues listening or taking into account people’s needs

Decision-making • Reflects their ideals and promotes harmonious relationship with others

Desire • Lively and enthusiastic ministries that apply warmth and vision to help people be all that God created them to be in Christ

Priority • Focus on individuals changing things for the betterment of others

Church Ethos • A spirit of harmony with encouragement given for all to fulfill their calling

Outward Appearance

• Willingness to cooperate with one another

Gain Confidence Through

• Caring concern and willingness to become involved in people’s lives

Fear • Being discovered as incompetent and unworthy

Characteristics of the Relational Church

Strong Points • Energetic, creative, and warm• Stimulated by new people and new ideas• Enjoy helping people achieve their potential

Challenges • Can be anxious during transition• Have difficulty with people’s negative feelings

Primary Ministries • Developing a vision of the future that energizes people• Enthusiastically and articulately communicating with people

in ways that are inclusive

Ministry Tempo • Fast-paces and activity-oriented

What Inspires Them • Cooperation, diversity, teamwork, harmony, and creativity

What De-motivates Them

• Insensitivity to people

Under Stress • Overwhelmed with possibilities; indecisive• Obsessed with unimportant details

Characteristics of the Relational Church(Cont.)

Decision-making • Tend to procrastinate because they dislike their options being limited

• Have strong, people-centered values on which most decisions are based

Desire • Openness to the moment• Minimal conflict

Priority • Changes that make things better for people

Church Ethos • Visionary, exciting, egalitarian

Outward Appearance

• Creative ministry that develops new ideas and programs for people

• Idealism that focuses on serving, developing, and growing people so they reach their potential

Gain Confidence Through

• Connection first with what is best for people

Fear • Being tied down

Characteristics of the Entrepreneurial Church

Strong Points • Handles crisis and problem situations adeptly• Are fearless risk takers, overflowing with optimism

Challenges • So absorbed in action and the moment, they may lose sight of the long-term strategy

• Can be so bored by routing that important day-to-day activities go unattended

Primary Ministries • The new, the exciting, the adventurous, the risky

Ministry Tempo • Action oriented, rapid paced

What Inspires Them • Spontaneity, autonomy, challenge

What De-motivates Them

• Rules, regulations, structure

Under Stress • Become excessively pessimistic about the future• Become emotional• Decision-making capabilities erode

Characteristics of the Entrepreneurial Church(Cont.)

Decision-making • Use logic, analysis, cause-and-effect reasoning

Desire • A flexible, spontaneous, ever-changing environment

Priority • Changing things for the good of others

Church Ethos • Easygoing and cooperative; minimally structures, unregulated

Outward Appearance

• Concentration of attention and resources for quick, powerful impact

Gain Confidence Through

• Connection first with the task

Fear • Dealing with ambiguity and theory unconnected to reality

Characteristics of the Strategizer Church

Strong Points • Pioneers in the development of new ministries and outreach opportunities

• Focused on completing task at the level of excellence

Challenges • Can get bored with routine activities and leave them unattended

• Can ignore the present for the future

Primary Ministries • Developing theories and vision• Solving complex problem

Ministry Tempo • Rapid pace

What Inspires Them • Creating plans, developing prototypes and designing strategies

What De-motivates Them

• Unpredictable delays and postponements that slow them down in attaining their goal

Under Stress • Loses objectivity• Ray emotions exposed• Becomes overly sensitive

Characteristics of the Strategizer Church(Cont.)

Decision-making • Logical and clear-thinking

Desire • Visualize where the church is going and then communicate that vision to others

Priority • Staying current to ensure the ideas they communicate are well validated

Church Ethos • Energetic, task-oriented people organized around a clear vision

Outward Appearance

• Reserved, unassuming, unceremonious

Gain Confidence Through

• Being deemed competent

Fear • Failure• When emotion rules

Characteristics of the Organizer Church

Strong Points • Preparation• Troubleshooting• Managing

Challenges • Obsessive• Fault-finding• Unsympathetic

Primary Ministries • Program development• Planning and management

Ministry Tempo • Deliberate• Systematic

What Inspires Them • Orderly procedure

What De-motivates Them

• Randomness• Disorder

Under Stress • Reserved

Characteristics of the Organizer Church(Cont.)

Decision-making • Calculated

Desire • Exactness

Priority • The method

Church Ethos • Efficient• Proper

Outward Appearance

• Conventional

Gain Confidence Through

• Attention to detail• Research

Fear • Embarrassment

Characteristics of the Adventurous Church

Strong Points • Handle crisis and problem situations expertly• Are fearless rick takers, filled with optimism

Challenges • So absorbed in action and the moment, they may lose sight of the long-term strategy

• Can be so bored by routine that important day-to-day activities go unattended

Primary Ministries • The new, the exciting, the adventurous, the risky• Involvement with new opportunities

Ministry Tempo • Action-oriented, rapid-paced

What Inspires Them • Spontaneity, autonomy, challenge

What De-motivates Them

• Rules, regulations, structure

Under Stress • Become excessively pessimistic about the future• Become emotional• Decision-making capabilities erode

Characteristics of the Adventurous Church(Cont.)

Decision-making • Use logic, analysis, cause-and-effect reasoning

Desire • A flexible, spontaneous, ever-changing environment

Priority • Changing things for the good of others

Church Ethos • Easygoing and cooperative: minimally structured, unregulated

Outward Appearance

• Concentration of attention and resources for quick, powerful impact

Gain Confidence Through

• Connection first with the task

Fear • Dealing with ambiguity and theory unconnected to reality

Characteristics of the Expressive Church

Strong Points • Communicative with strong people skills• Take a sympathetic, inclusive approach with new people

Challenges • Prefer to avoid or deny conflict as long as possible• Will react fiercely if a value has been trampled

Primary Ministries • Like to be where the people and the action are; right in the middle of things, involved

Ministry Tempo • Fast-paced action; gregarious and sociable

What Inspires Them • Spontaneity, excellence, equality, harmony

What De-motivates Them

• Unsettled by conflict among people they care about

Under Stress • May become uncharacteristically pessimistic, negative, or doubt themselves (thought they may not show these reactions overtly)

Characteristics of the Expressive Church(Cont.)

Decision-making • Will seek information and advice from all sources• Will consider the human aspect and whether all will benefit

Desire • To be open about themselves and their concerns (what you see is what you get) and encouraging others to be the same

Priority • Create an environment where people feel valued and in on things

Church Ethos • Express concern for people by keeping the focus on the needs of those being served

Outward Appearance

• An exciting, optimistic, and fun atmosphere

Gain Confidence Through

• Being observant, paying attention to what is going on in their community

Fear • May question their own abilities and fear exposure as incompetent in their most important ministry endeavors