Young people. How do you reach them? How do you get them excited or even interested about God and Church? What role do they themselves play? I’ve become convinced of the following: young people come and stay in any given Church Community on account of its culture. And this means practically, that, after prayer, Church leadership’s top priority must be the proactive shaping of its culture. Culture is the strongest force of change, but also of non-change. „Culture eats strategy for breakfast“ (John Maxwell). Any pastoral planning and effort needs to get the culture problem under control. If a parish community or Church institution doesn’t, it wont be around for long.
„The problem of the church today is a problem of culture.“(Michael White)
A question of culture and values
A culture can greatly inspire and build up, but also poison and destroy. Every group of people, every organization has a culture, even if no one in that organization has ever thought about it. It’s the question of how things are done around here, what atmosphere prevails. Culture is largely made up of actually lived values. N