The Importance of Church Culture

Paul certainly had to identify church culture with his ministry at Corinth.  There were factions in the church that each had their own view on the church.  This is still seen today.  Unfortunately, few churches create their culture on purpose. Instead, they drift into a culture[1].

1 Corinthians 3:3 for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? 4 For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human? [2]

It is not difficult to determine a believer’s spiritual maturity, or immaturity, if you discover what kind of “diet” he enjoys. The immature believer knows little about the present ministry of Christ in heaven. He knows the facts about our Lord’s life and ministry on earth, but not the truths about His present ministry in heaven. He lives on “Bible stories” and not Bible doctrines.[3]  The Corinthians had focused on men when in fact God alone was the source of blessing (3:5-9) and ministers were only servants accountable to Him (3:10-17). Since that was so, a minister needed to beware of cultivating the praise of men—as certain leaders in the Corinthian church apparently were doing (3:18-23), and needed instead to seek by faithful service to gain the praise of God (4:1-5).[4]   Each church should be about the business of making disciples that make disciples.  Every program should have this as a projected end.  The key question to ask for each program is whether it is a context for making disciple-making disciples[5].

A true pastor (leader) must be a servant. He must have a servant’s mind (Phil. 2) and be willing to put Christ first, others second, and self last.[6]  The foundation of the church was not the church leaders but Jesus Christ. Each person builds on this foundation. What is built may be something valuable or something worthless. Final evaluation of the value of one’s work will be revealed at the Day of Judgment. Paul explained the condition for rewards with appropriate warnings for leaders and followers.  Paul’s warnings do not mean human leaders are unimportant. People are saved only by Christ, and there is no other basis for salvation. Church leaders build on the foundation. From this thought Paul appealed to the Corinthians to act on what he had written. The apostle emphasized both the responsibility of leaders and the importance of their example. They were “entrusted with the secret things of God.” These secret things granted to these leaders are things that human wisdom cannot discover but can only be revealed by God to His people.[7]



[1] http://stephenblandino.com/2010/11/8-words-that-define-your-churchs.html


[2] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2001 (1 Co 3:3–4). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.


[3] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (1 Co 3:1). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.


[4] Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1985). The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (1 Co 3:1–4). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.


[5] http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/changing-a-church-culture


[6] Wiersbe, W. W. (1992). Wiersbe’s expository outlines on the New Testament (425). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.


[7] Dockery, D. S. (1998). The Pauline Letters. In D. S. Dockery (Ed.), Holman concise Bible commentary (D. S. Dockery, Ed.) (554). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.