Why You Need Core Values For Your Staff Team

​Years ago when we planted Freshwater we came up with seven core values. These core values have helped guide us and keep us focused over the years. We launched the church with no paid staff other than myself and a handful of volunteers. Since launching, we have revised the wording of our core values several times but they have essentially remained the same. Our core values have helped shape who we are as a church. They help us make sure we have our priorities in order and ensure we focus on them. Fast forward to today. Now Freshwater has fifteen paid staff and dozens of volunteer staff. We still use our core values to guide the church and keep our priorities in order. If a ministry, program, or new initiative does not align with our core values we cut it.    

One of our paid staff team members approached me and said that he loves our church core values and asked if we have any staff core values to help our paid staff team know what is expected of them. We didn’t, so we set out to create a set of core values that reflect the type of staff environment that we want to cultivate. We began by creating a first draft (using other church examples and our own original thoughts) of the values that are important to us. Then we shared the draft version with our existing staff team. After reviewing it at a staff meeting, we gave them the opportunity to speak into it. We took their suggestions and wrote a new version and shared it with them again. After a couple more revisions we settled on the following core values. Our final version reflects the culture we want to develop and keep. Now our staff core values go on every job description and we hold one another accountable to them. These core values have helped us to thrive as a team.     

FRESHWATER CHURCH STAFF CORE VALUES

• Infectious Fun: Our staff potential is greatest when there's joy in being a team. Balancing work and play, we create environments that create fun and togetherness.
• Contagious Care: We prioritize people because we care about them. Therefore, we do our best to do whatever it takes to get the job done.
• Impactful Excellence: With our given resources, we intentionally lean into our strengths to do the best we can to glorify God and build up people.
• Stewardship of Soul Care:  Since we can't give what we don't have, we will invest in a healthy body, mind, and soul for ministry.
• Strategic Flexibility: Because church can be messy, we commit to collaborate as we're led by the Holy Spirit and to improvise when necessary.
• Unwavering Accountability: Because the eternal impact we have is so important, we hold one another accountable for doing the work God has called us to do.

As your church grows, so will your staff team. As the staff team grows, you need to create and manage the culture of the organization. By putting your staff core values in writing, you help create the culture that you want to see. If you don’t put your values in writing, you can’t expect people to know what a healthy team environment looks like in your organization. Without a set of staff core values, your staff culture may stagnate or die a slow death caused by a noxious weed on your staff team. Your staff core values will help you clarify what is expected from every member of your team so that everyone wins. 

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