4 Feb 2015 by Adeline Lum CM-
By building a culture, we can leave a legacy, which sustains God’s movement beyond our presence and existence.
And on 23rd of January, Pr Andy Harrison of Planetshakers shared in the Planetshakers Awakening conference at DUMC about the power of culture.
To start a culture, we need to be the culture first because a culture developed always reflects who you are. Planetshakers is passionate and prophetic today because it reflects the very person of Russell Evans, Senior Pastor of Planetshakers City Church in Australia.
Even the Bible points out the different cultures Saul and David developed from their character, basically from who they are.
During battle with the Philistines, the whole army under Saul had no sword or spear in their hands except for Saul and his son Jonathan. (1 Sam 13) Saul developed a culture of fear and disempowerment amongst his soldiers.
How about David? Although David was banished from the presence of Saul, mighty men from different tribes even Saul’s relatives came to join him. They were skillful warriors armed with bows and able to sling stones right-handed and left handed, eventually becoming valiant commanders for David. (1 Chro 12) David, a man after God’s heart, had developed a Kingdom-centered culture, which empowers instead of disempowers his people.
And as a culture developer, we are called to influence and not to be influenced by the culture around us. With a campus ministry of 700 students and 140 leaders, Pr Andy stressed that a big and strong Kingdom culture in Planetshakers is important to influence a newcomer entering with preexisting cultures, and not the other way round.
For example, he shared how the culture of Planetshakers was so powerful when he joined at 14 years old. Immediately, he wanted to wholeheartedly serve the ministry like everyone else, because that was the culture Pr Rudy Nikkerud created. Developing a culture is not wanting to make a name for oneself or one’s ministry, but to perpetuate and expand Kingdom-centered cultures.
Lastly, not only are we called to be culture developers; we are also called to be culture carriers. The Bible calls us ambassadors. This means that we are not meant to represent the culture of our country or our race, but we are meant to represent the culture of our home in Heaven. As soon as anyone approaches us, they will experience the culture of our Father in Heaven.
Pr Andy shared that he knows that Planetshakers will be challenged this year to contain what God is about to do. But is he developing the culture to contain God’s work?
In your ministry perhaps, you too want to develop a culture. But what do you need to develop that?
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