Leveraging church culture : how understanding a church’s culture enhances ministry and community engagement

This study looked at organizational culture in a church context, exploring whether understanding and leveraging a church's culture helps focus ministry and maximizes effectiveness. The research used What Is Your Church's Personality, by Philip D. Douglass, in the ministry context of Ladner Baptist Church, Ladner B.C. There were three components to the research: 1. Thirty-five opinion leaders in the congregation took a personality survey with results plotted on a wheel of eight church personalities. 2. A meeting to report the results, with opportunity for feedback and discussion. 3. A follow up interview to assess whether the leadership found this process helpful in understanding their culture and leveraging it for greater effectiveness in ministry and outreach. The result of this project demonstrated that the survey accurately identified the church's personality and the supplemental material on each personality gave valuable insights into how to leverage that culture for greater effectiveness.