A Pastoral Word. . . Creating a Winning Church Culture
Pastor Kevin Freeman with Rev. Mark Dooley
February 6, 2025
This month we are blessed with two scheduled sermons from Mark Dooley. Mark recently published an article for the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware (BCM/D), and it impressed me a lot – so much that I decided to share it in this edition of the newsletter. Mark discusses some concepts related to our “seed-scattering” endeavors.
Your partner in ministry,
Kevin Freeman
For sports fans, this is a great time of year. Whether it’s the college football playoffs or the Super Bowl, the excitement is palpable. And if you’re not a football fan, just wait; your sport of choice will have their championship soon enough.
During a team’s championship runs, it’s not uncommon to hear about the “winning culture” that’s been created among the winning franchise or school. My team of choice in the NFL is the Philadelphia Eagles. After living just outside the city for eleven years, I began to “bleed green,” an analogy expressing my loyalty as a fan.
Over the last quarter century, the Eagles have successfully created a winning culture, but it hasn’t always been that way. When I moved to the Philadelphia metro region in 1996, the Eagles were experiencing a period of frustration, and the team culture exuded ineptness and a losing mindset. However, when Andy Reid became the head coach in 1999, everything began to change, and the organization has exhibited a winning mentality since. Prior to the Reid tenure, the Eagles had winning seasons only 23 of 69 years. Since then, it’s been 20 of 25. They’ve gone from a winning season percentage of 33% to 80%. That is a remarkable difference.
The creation of a winning culture matters in sports. It also matters in the church. When it comes to evangelism, many churches are like my beloved Eagles before the 2000s. They are in the game and doing what they can. Every now and then, they even have a good season. But overall, most churches struggle in the area of evangelism. Short-term successes don’t endure and produce long-term fruit when there is no culture of evangelism.
Can things turn around? Well, they certainly did for the Philadelphia Eagles. They’ve become one of the winningest teams in the NFL. Only four teams (of 32 total) have had more wins than the Eagles over the past 25 years. Churches can also turn around their evangelistic weaknesses, but it takes intentional effort.
We want to help! On March 18, the BCM/D and the North American Mission Board will host a one-day training for pastors and church leaders on creating a culture of evangelism. The training will focus on using The Evangelism Kit, a NAMB resource designed to help churches create such a culture. The kit is NOT an evangelism program. It will help leaders understand the principles of culture and how to use whatever tools they choose to use in their efforts to create that “winning culture.”
The training will be from 10:30am–1:30pm at South Shore Church. Get ready to ignite your passion and transform your community with the power of the gospel. With renewed passion and a clear sense of purpose, you’ll learn to fearlessly proclaim the gospel message and make a lasting impact on a world searching for hope and answers. You will also enjoy food and fellowship with like-minded leaders.
Mark Dooley serves as the BCM/D state director of evangelism and associate executive director.
Your partner in ministry,
Kevin Freeman
For sports fans, this is a great time of year. Whether it’s the college football playoffs or the Super Bowl, the excitement is palpable. And if you’re not a football fan, just wait; your sport of choice will have their championship soon enough.
During a team’s championship runs, it’s not uncommon to hear about the “winning culture” that’s been created among the winning franchise or school. My team of choice in the NFL is the Philadelphia Eagles. After living just outside the city for eleven years, I began to “bleed green,” an analogy expressing my loyalty as a fan.
Over the last quarter century, the Eagles have successfully created a winning culture, but it hasn’t always been that way. When I moved to the Philadelphia metro region in 1996, the Eagles were experiencing a period of frustration, and the team culture exuded ineptness and a losing mindset. However, when Andy Reid became the head coach in 1999, everything began to change, and the organization has exhibited a winning mentality since. Prior to the Reid tenure, the Eagles had winning seasons only 23 of 69 years. Since then, it’s been 20 of 25. They’ve gone from a winning season percentage of 33% to 80%. That is a remarkable difference.
The creation of a winning culture matters in sports. It also matters in the church. When it comes to evangelism, many churches are like my beloved Eagles before the 2000s. They are in the game and doing what they can. Every now and then, they even have a good season. But overall, most churches struggle in the area of evangelism. Short-term successes don’t endure and produce long-term fruit when there is no culture of evangelism.
Can things turn around? Well, they certainly did for the Philadelphia Eagles. They’ve become one of the winningest teams in the NFL. Only four teams (of 32 total) have had more wins than the Eagles over the past 25 years. Churches can also turn around their evangelistic weaknesses, but it takes intentional effort.
We want to help! On March 18, the BCM/D and the North American Mission Board will host a one-day training for pastors and church leaders on creating a culture of evangelism. The training will focus on using The Evangelism Kit, a NAMB resource designed to help churches create such a culture. The kit is NOT an evangelism program. It will help leaders understand the principles of culture and how to use whatever tools they choose to use in their efforts to create that “winning culture.”
The training will be from 10:30am–1:30pm at South Shore Church. Get ready to ignite your passion and transform your community with the power of the gospel. With renewed passion and a clear sense of purpose, you’ll learn to fearlessly proclaim the gospel message and make a lasting impact on a world searching for hope and answers. You will also enjoy food and fellowship with like-minded leaders.
Mark Dooley serves as the BCM/D state director of evangelism and associate executive director.
Source: https://bcmd.org/evangelism-and-a-winning-culture/. Reprinted with permission.
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