If it’s true that “what gets celebrate gets replicated” then we need to take careful consideration of what we’re celebrating. This is important because what gets replicated gets embedded in your culture.
So why not celebrate things that would actually reshape your culture? Here are three things that are rarely celebrated, but if they were, it would be culture-changing.
1. Celebrate leadership developers. Typically we celebrate the on-boarding of new leaders but rarely do we mention those who develop them. When we only celebrate the on-boarding of new leaders, we create an imbalance of placing too much emphasis on leadership and not enough value on development. But if we begin to celebrate those who have reproduced themselves in the lives of new leaders, we will see more people embracing the value of development and in turn will see more leaders developed.
2. Celebrate a 40 hour work week. It’s not uncommon to hear a top leader congratulating and acknowledging those who have gone above and beyond by putting in extra hours. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it should be the exception not the rule. There are times when disaster hits, busy seasons come, and we have to put in a 50 or 60 hour work week. That happens. But again, it should be the exception not the rule. I long for the day when a senior leader stands up and congratulates everyone for getting their work done on time or for not sending emails or texts over the weekend. How cool would it be to have the leader stand up and ask “what did you do on your Sabbath days this week?” And the team’s responses would actually reflect the restoration and rest they experienced. But our addiction to work tends to make us celebrate workaholism. Working on the weekend or overtime becomes a badge of honor. We need to nip that in the bud.
3. Celebrate small numbers rather than the big numbers. I think most would agree that life change happens best in circles rather than in rows, but we tend to celebrate how many people showed up to sit in the rows on the weekend rather than how many showed up to sit in the circles during the week. Why not celebrate that small group that had three people show up this past week and allow them to share the story of the vulnerability and deep connection they experienced? Rather than only celebrating the big number of those that came forward for spontaneous baptism, why not celebrate the one who shared his faith one-on-one this week. Let that person share their story, how they did it, the challenges they faced, the response the person had. That would give other believers a boldness that a spontaneous baptism would not. As long as we share only the big numbers, we’re telling individuals that only big things can make a difference. But the truth is, if we can learn to celebrate the small numbers, it will make a big difference.
If we begin to celebrate just these three things, it would create a radical transformation in our culture.
Additional Resources:
Read: Cracking Your Church’s Culture Code: Seven Keys to Unleashing Vision and Inspiration by Samuel Chand
