September Newsletter, 2026 ✦

The Culture We Create: Six Commitments Shaping a Healthy Church

Rev. Dr. David S. Bell, President & Executive Director

Every church has a culture.

Church culture may be intentional or accidental, welcoming, or exclusive, generous or protective, hopeful or discouraged. It shapes the congregation’s collective life and witness. The ethos is more than stated beliefs or social principles. It is what people experience when they worship, serve, lead, give and grow together.

A healthy church does not emerge from a single sermon series, a new mission statement, or an inspiring leadership retreat.

Culture is reflected partially in the hallway conversations, a congregation’s response to a difficult season, the process for inviting people into leadership, the use of financial resources, the respect held for the pastor, and the treatment of those who hold a different perspective. It is revealed not only in what a church community ideally values, but also in what it consistently practices.

Church leaders sometimes respond to declining participation, financial pressures, leadership transitions, or community changes by adding programs, revising their strategic plan, or recruiting more volunteers. Those responses may be appropriate. However, leaders should consider a more fundamental question before deciding what the church needs to do next: What kind of culture are we creating, and what does it encourage and discourage?

Special Year End Giving Brochure Offer

The United Methodist Foundation of Michigan is excited to offer an opportunity for your church to enhance their year-end giving campaigns with no-cost, customizable brochures! Imagine the impact you can have to inspire generous living and stewardship during this vital season.

We are offering a special grant that is limited to the first 30 churches that respond. Reach out to Marian Coles by November 6th to secure your free, personalized printed brochures (Up to 200) and make your campaign truly shine. If you miss this offer, feel free to reach out to receive a PDF file that you can print locally. We can personalize and add your organization’s contact information.

Ministry Mechanics

Rev. Joel Fitzgerald, Vice President Church Relations & Leadership

In seminary, I took many courses needed for ordination, including New Testament, Old Testament, theology, evangelism, preaching, church history, and United Methodist history, polity, and theology. These courses prepared me to preach, lead worship, teach Bible studies, and provide pastoral care.

Then I arrived at my first church and had to refinance a mortgage in the aftermath of the Great Recession, manage staffing conflicts, and learn about church insurance, local property tax laws, and accounting principles.

The gap between my seminary training and the practical skills I needed in the local church quickly became clear. Disaffiliations, financial challenges, and a pandemic have only widened that gap. Today’s church leaders need different skills than those needed a generation ago. To meet these needs, the Foundation and annual conference staff created the Ministry Mechanics series.

This series of seminars is designed to provide practical information on how the church as an organization runs. We hope it will fill the gap between what pastors and church leaders learned in seminary or in past seasons, and the needs of the current church.