The 3 Cultures Every Church Planter Wishes They Built Sooner
I was on a call the other day with a pastor who’s launching a church in the Denver, Colorado area. He asked me something I get asked a lot:
“What mistakes do other church planters wish they could go back and fix?”
After nearly 20 years of working with pastors—whether they lead a megachurch or a small community of believers—I’ve seen a consistent pattern. No matter the size or style of the church, the regrets are almost always the same.
There are three key cultures every pastor wishes they had built from the very beginning:
1. Invite Culture
Invite culture is so much more than passing out cards or creating a Facebook event. It’s the intentional environment you build—from the parking lot to the pulpit—that makes people feel welcome and inspires them to bring others.
It includes the look and feel of your lobby, the friendliness of your volunteers, the clarity of your service, and even the follow-up after someone visits. When your people feel proud and excited to invite their friends, that’s when you know you’ve got a healthy invite culture.
Too many pastors look back and realize they didn’t train their people to be inviters—they trained them to be consumers. And it made growth a lot harder than it needed to be.
2. Volunteer Culture
I can’t count how many pastors have told me they underestimated their people. They didn’t ask much of them, so they didn’t get much in return.
But the churches that thrive are the ones that build a strong volunteer culture early on. These pastors trained their people to understand the value of serving others. They taught them that volunteering wasn’t just helpful—it was biblical. And in turn, they saw deeper engagement and faster growth.
Churches with strong volunteer systems are more sustainable and more connected. The people take ownership, and the mission moves forward with momentum.
3. Tithing Culture
This one might be the most overlooked—and the most essential.
About 20 years ago, many churches shifted toward a “generosity” message, which is great. But in the process, some stopped teaching on tithing—one of the clearest and most powerful spiritual disciplines in Scripture.
Pastors who built a strong tithing culture from day one tell me that it changed everything. Not just the church’s financial health, but the spiritual health of their people.
Tithing is a biblical principle that teaches us to return to God what is His. It’s not just about money—it’s about trust, obedience, and faith. Scripture tells us to “test God in this” (Malachi 3:10), and pastors who teach this regularly find that God shows up in incredible ways.
Looking back over the last 20 years, I can say with full confidence:
If you want your church plant to grow in health and impact, build these three cultures early and intentionally—Invite, Volunteer, and Tithe.
These are the foundations for sustainable growth and genuine discipleship.
And if you’re planting a church and need help developing these areas, that’s exactly what we do at The Elements Group. Let’s build something that lasts.
