Creating a Culture of Overflow

By David P Elverson and Paul Manwaring

From time to time certain words or ways of thinking gain real traction and become ‘buzz words’ that are used all over the place; sometimes in context, sometimes out of context.  One such word that this has happened to in recent times is ‘culture’.

It has happened for very good reasons; churches and bus

• Language: English
• Publisher: Engage Deep Ltd
• Release date: Oct 15, 2015
• ISBN: 9780993236334

David P Elverson

David Elverson is a management consultant living in Norwich, England. He specialises in culture change and works with big business, the public sector and church groups to develop new cultures that bring life to the organisations. David's passion is to see the church prepared as the beautiful bride ready for the wedding. He and his wife lead Global Legacy in the East of England; supporting church leaders and leaders in the market place to see revival come in their contexts. David is married to Holly and has two young girls. For business or church speaking or consulting enquiries please contact [e-mail]

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Creating a Culture of Overflow

David Elverson with Paul Manwaring

Copyright © 2015 David Elverson with copyright for chapter 1, The Power of Culture, with Paul Manwaring

Cover Design: David Elverson

All rights reserved.  This book was published by Wild Horses Publishing.  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any means without the expressed permission of the authors.  This includes reprints, excerpts, photocopying, recording or any future means of reproducing text.  The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

If you would like to do any of the above please seek permission by contacting the author at www.engage-deep.co.uk

Unless otherwise indicated , Scripture quotations are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION.  Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica

Scripture quotations identified AMP are from the Amplified Bible, copyright 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation

Published in the United Kingdom by Wild Horses Publishing

ISBN 978-0-9932363-2-7

Reviews for Creating a Culture of Overflow

"I appreciate authors that take the time and energy to create a conversation around a certain topic or theme. In this book Creating a Culture of Overflow you will be invited into a conversation around leadership and culture. If your a leader or person that desires to create a culture where people can thrive, this book will help you to move forward in this area. Enjoy!" Eric Johnson, Senior Pastor at Bethel Church, Redding, California, and author of Christ in You

In reading this book, I came to realise that David Elverson is modelling prophecy in business. It is prophetic because I believe it is demonstrating a new kind of Christian writing about business. It breaks down the old silos of thinking and behaving. The traditional strict separation of the spiritual from business needs to be seen for what it is: a strategy of the enemy that has done untold harm. We don’t need to bring God into business; He is already there, and is more passionate about it as an expression of His Kingdom than we are. Further, the book itself is wonderful sense-making synthesis of discipleship and practical leadership. I found it a gold mine of mature thinking, with much I can use personally in better leading a business Christ’s way.

Patrick Mayfield, CEO of PearceMayfield, and author of Practical People Engagement: Leading Change through the Power of Relationships.

I’ve known Dave as a youth, a student, a husband, a businessman, a father, a leader and ultimately in all of that, as a follower of Jesus.

Creating a Culture of Overflow is a very practical book and I find it refreshing in its reflection of scripture.  Having worked in business,  and with people this book is written in such a way that it is a can-do book.

It embraces whatever style of leader you are and within it you will find something to make you a better, bigger person - it’s all about reaching the potential within us and finding the flourishing in the circumstances within which we find ourselves.

Roy Crowne, Executive Director HOPE

‘David Elverson has combined his skill as a Management Consultant with his knowledge of the Bible to ask the question; "Are Churches producing members who are consumers or producers? Are they recognising, encouraging and using the Ephesian ministries to mobilise and equip members to be fruitful and multiply? Or are they ignoring God given ministries that have been spurned at every turn?"

As Archbishop Justin Welby has said, all Christians need to be like champagne, bubbling over daily with ‘joy and delight’ as witnesses of the love of Jesus.  This book encourages Church Leaders to unite, pool resources and march as one army to defeat the Satanic strongholds destroying this once great nation.  John Wright International Director, The Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International

Congratulations to David for creating a wide-ranging exploration of what fullness is and how leaders can create cultures that can move themselves, their families, businesses, churches and wider communities through engagement to fullness and revival. Jesus is at the centre and is the inspiration of this book which provides practical ideas and tools based on David's personal life and experience as well as extensive research and insight.  The book is a valuable resource which gives us tools to evaluate where we are and steps we can take to make ourselves and those we lead and influence, thrive.  Keith Williams former Senior Vice President of AT Kearney and Senior Consultant at Coopers & Lybrand

As Christians, we are called to engage with and transform the cultures of this world with the cultures of the Kingdom of God – bringing heaven to earth. David draws on his particular experience as a management consultant but this book is rooted in his experience of everyday life. Well-researched, with some helpful practical exercises, it is designed to help you become a culture-changer in your own context: whether that is family, workplace or church.

Revd Stephen Mawditt. Leader of Fountain of Life church and Fountain Network

Dedication and Acknowledgements

I’d like to dedicate this book to the Holly, Olivia and Beatrice and the adventure we are on together as we follow God’s leading and prompting  to move from the ordinary to the world changers he has called all of us to be.

Many people have given of their time and expertise so generously to help with the writing and publishing of this book.  I’d particularly like to thank Peter Adams, Patrick Mayfield, Stephen Mawditt and Ron Elverson for the invaluable wisdom they in putted into the early manuscript.  I’d also like to thank Tim Elverson for his assistance in preparing the ebook version.

I’d also like to thank my wife Holly Elverson for tirelessly hearing about the latest chapter I’ve written, for reading them and giving  her insights and for being a source of inspiration for much of what is written.

Finally I’d like to thank Paul Manwaring.  Paul has not only written a chapter for this book, but is also at the centre of fathering a movement that sees the Kingdom of Heaven invade all areas of life, the workplace as well as the church!  He helps the church understand what culture is and why it is important for seeing revival come and be sustained.  Through the leadership development programme Paul runs (www.globallegacy.com), Holly and I have been changed as we discovered so much more of God’s plans for us and for all who were created in his image!

Preface

From time to time certain words or ways of thinking gain real traction and become ‘buzz words’ that are used all over the place; sometimes in context, sometimes out of context.  One such word that this has happened to in recent times is ‘culture’.

It has happened for very good reasons; churches and business have found that the culture is far more important than strategy, ability or perhaps even anointing in seeing things come to fruition in a sustainable way.  Culture creates an environment in which things grow, both the bad and the good.  So understanding the cultures we need and the specifics of how to create these cultures is very important.

I think that many leaders in church and business realise ‘culture’ is important, but perhaps due to the intangible nature of ‘culture’, don’t fully know why or what to do about it.

This book is designed to be a tool to help leaders get to grips with culture in a practical way.  The first chapter, by Paul Manwaring looks at what culture is and why it is so important before the rest of the book further breaks down some of the constituent parts of culture and gives practical ideas for leading yourself and others to new cultures that bring life.

This book specifically explores creating a culture that frees people to live life in all of its fullness. However there maybe other elements of Kingdom culture that you want to develop and embed in your church or business.  Our hope is the principles described in this book help you to implement the cultural change that is needed.  Our hope is to turn an intangible word into something practical and action based that will help us all lead our churches, business and families into revival.

I hope you enjoy it

David Elverson

1 The Power of Culture

Paul Manwaring

Words and their meanings have often fascinated me, none more than the word culture. On one level, culture is not a new concept as we have studied culture of nations and people groups since time began. Yet during the past forty to fifty years the organizational world has experienced a steady increase in the use and understanding of culture.

The introduction of culture to the corporate world has been far-reaching. Culture may very well be one of the most powerful resources available to the administrator. Management consultant Peter Drucker originated the phrase, Culture eats strategy for breakfast. If planning and strategizing can be consumed by culture then it is no wonder there is an increasing awareness of its power and relevance.

And so it makes sense to understand what culture is, how it evolves, and the power it contains for both good and harm. While culture is not necessarily a biblical word, the concept and power of it certainly is biblical. Romans 12:2 encourages the reader to not conform to the world (culture), but rather be transformed. And of course, once we are transformed, we will transform the world around us. I have always loved the translation of this verse offered by J.B. Phillips in his version of the New Testament in Modern English, Don't let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould… That is a great way of describing culture: it moulds thinking, behavior, and almost all aspects of life.

There is a simple progression of a culture which is demonstrated every year in the USA. When the first Europeans arrived in the new land of America, they carried with them a history of harvest festivals. Around October each year they would have attended a church service dedicated to giving thanks for another year’s harvest. Arriving in America, they again celebrated the provision of the land. That celebration was so important to them that it became an annual holiday, which then became enshrined in law. Over 200 years later, Americans stop work on the fourth Thursday of November and, as many as possible, spend the day as a family eating and giving thanks. Even if the law were changed I honestly believe that the vast majority of Americans would continue to celebrate this holiday. It is a beautiful example of the power and evolution of a culture. Families that were raised with stories of the first Thanksgiving have helped to create and reinforce culture that is passed from generation to generation.

I enjoy using several definitions of culture. The simplest being the way things are done in a particular place by a particular group of people. As Christians, the concept of a people group coping with their world is a great place to start. In the book of Ephesians the Apostle Paul describes us as being seated in heavenly places. This means we are a people group that belongs in heaven but is learning to cope with life on earth. This concept, along with our understanding of being apostolic—sent from heaven to make earth look like heaven—gives a powerful context for culture. Our Christian culture is the way we do things here on earth with a mindset based in heaven.

It may be that the closest we can get to finding the word culture in the Bible is the use of the word nature in 2 Peter 1:4 where Peter talks about us becoming partakers of the divine nature. When I read the Bible it is verses like this that are always a combination of challenging, encouraging, and shocking.

We are called to imitate Paul as he imitates Christ. We’re equally invited by Paul to be imitators of God and partakers of His divine nature. So many Christians are robbed of these invitations because they are led to believe they exist in a sin nature, unredeemed by the fullness of the cross of Jesus Christ. But these verses are inviting us, calling us to the potential we have been given to create and affect culture in our lives on earth.

Culture creates a sense of ownership and it is also defined as the way in which a group of people solve problems. Once again, this points to us as Christian believers. We want to create ownership of what we believe, and we believe our culture is the solution to the world’s problems. Christian culture, although having the hallmarks of all of the elements described in organizational culture, has not harnessed its full potential. Organizational culture, as described by Terrence Deal and Allan Kennedy, contains the following phenomena: History, values and beliefs, rituals and ceremonies, stories, heroic figures, and cultural network. This describes the Christian faith globally and also organizationally. This list leads me to believe that the power of culture has not been fully grasped by us as believers.

In the context of organizations, culture is central. Culture is required in order to achieve an organization’s vision, fulfill the mission, and prove the structure’s success. Understanding culture is, therefore, a powerful resource as an administrator. It is the lens through which everything is viewed and, as such, will affect everything in an organization. One of my favorite examples in this regard is the discussion within the charismatic world of miracles and process. Both are a part of our lives, but the goal of the believer is a culture of miracles that embraces process rather than a culture of process with the occasional miracle. At first glance they may seem the same, but they are radically different and will create very different experiences and outcomes.

There are negative elements to culture which may need addressing. Even cultures that are fundamentally good can develop destructive traits. Likemindedness, narrow-mindedness, and right-mindedness (arrogance) are just a few examples. Culture is an opportunity for every leader. It can indeed be led from the top, but it is influenced and grows from the ground up. Culture needs to be understood, to be nurtured, and every opportunity taken to draw on the strengths available while avoiding the constraints of its weaknesses.

Perhaps most important of all examples is the apostolic assignment to bring the culture of heaven to earth. The origin of the word apostle, as you already know, is from the Romans who sent their military leaders (apostles) to make other places look and behave like Rome. These Roman apostles were sent to make the culture like Rome, and yet Jesus took this very title and applied it to himself and his twelve disciples. While we are not all Apostles, we should be apostolic, having embraced the mindset of believing that we are sent ones to make earth look and behave like heaven. In other words it is culture that we bring and culture that we affect.

Culture is being created all around us. The ease of communication, social media, access to information, and global marketing are a few elements enabling cultures to be created overnight. The age in which we live is far more susceptible to cultural change than any previous age. The globalization of the planet and the ease of communication have brought changes which previously took decades to establish. This is our opportunity to live as believers with these assignments and attributes of a divine nature, to no longer see ourselves as second-class, nor to leave the non-church world to unbelievers. What we have the world needs, and knowing who we are and what we carry is essential to seeing the power of heaven’s culture impact the earth.

2 Culture that Overflows

I was sat at a wedding recently.  It was a wedding of an old school friend of my wife so I didn’t know many people there.  As my wife was off talking to some old friends I sat at the edge of the room looking around and suddenly, from nowhere I was overwhelmed by the lack of freedom and joy that seemed to hover over many people in the room.

There was nothing unusual about these people.  They didn’t have greater difficulties than anyone one else.  Yet God was showing me how many people are captive to their circumstances, to disappointment and discouragement, and the result – a life that isn’t all that it could be and isn’t redeemed from being empty.

Most of these people weren’t Christians, yet the story isn’t that different for many Christians.  They know where they are going to end up, but all too often, their life becomes about survival until they finally reach heaven.

Imagine if you lived in complete freedom.  Imagine if all of the people in your church had complete freedom, understood the gifts and calling on their lives and lived life to the fullest.  Imagine if everyone in your workplace was thriving, reaching their potential, helping others to do the same and building a lasting legacy.

Imagine that you, your congregation and your colleagues didn’t experience fear, worry, discouragement, and lack of hope or anything else that stops you from living life to the fullest.  As this happens you are transformed into people of beauty, joy, praise and righteousness.  You begin to thrive personally.  Your church thrives.  Your business thrives, and you can’t help but for it to also overflow into your communities.  Relationships will be rebuilt and people all around you will be restored into who they were created to be.  Imagine that through this you gained everlasting joy.

Sounds good doesn’t it?  Jesus said that this was his purpose here on earth (Is 61:1-7 & Jn 10:10).  Jesus is perfect so he must have achieved his purpose.  Therefore this must be possible.  It must be available for us now.

This book challenges us to raise our expectations to see this in our lives, our churches and our businesses.  It offers practical thoughts, ideas and tools, to revive our personal lives, to lead others into this fullness and for this to overflow into the communities we are part of in a sustained way through the culture that we create.

The Quest

The history of the human race is a quest to be revived, without knowing that revival is what it is searching for.  Individually it takes the forms of hedonism, capitalism, spiritual enlightenment, self-help gurus, greed, sexual exploration and self-obsession.  The unspoken cry echoes through the generations: there must be more than this, there must be something that will fill the empty void, something to plug the hole, and something to create a feeling of wholeness and fullness that lasts and doesn’t empty out.

Corporately our organisations of all types; businesses, churches and families are also looking to be revived.  Over recent years this search has been given a different name; ‘engagement’.  The quest to increase engagement or to ‘engage our people’, is

our organisations crying out for revival without knowing that is the answer.

The quest for ‘engagement’ is a search for something more.  The search is advancing.  The leaders of this quest have realised that people are unique and what ‘engages’ one might not engage another.  They have realised that people are deep.  Logic and rationale only go so far and for most people logic isn’t nearly as important and meaningful as our strong emotional drivers.

In essence the leaders of this quest are learning how to understand human nature; the good and the bad and through this understanding are discovering what makes people tick; what engages them, perhaps even what revives them.

However there is a vital piece of the jigsaw missing.  The human race is made in the image of God.  We might not always look and behave like him, but deep within all of us is a yearning; a craving to become that image again; to be made full.

Jesus said "I have come that they may have life and have it to the full" (Jn10:10).  He is the answer to this quest.  It is through Jesus that each of us can live in the fullness of life and through him that our groups of people; churches, businesses and families achieve all of their hopes, dreams and missions.  They become engaged and revived.

It sounds great, but why doesn’t it happen more?  Perhaps it is understandable why some of our big corporates don’t engage people and certainly aren’t being revived.  After all they function as impersonal profit focussed machines, don’t they?  What about churches though?  They know Jesus and know he came to give life in all its fullness, but are all members of our churches being everything they can be and living in the fullness that Jesus brings?  What about you individually?  Are you continually living in the fullness?  Do you always feel like you are living out the purpose you are here on the planet for?

To receive the fullness that Jesus has for us we need to understand two parts of an equation.  The first part is our human nature; the good and the bad, the way God has made us and the rebellion from the fall that creates in us the propensity to do things our own way.  The second part is to understand the Kingdom of heaven, how God loves to work with us, in us and through us and what Jesus has done to free us from our rebellion.

People come alive when they are understood.  Imagine what could happen if we combined an understanding of people; our human nature, with an understanding of how Jesus came to bring life to all of us.  Imagine if we combined new ways of being and of leading people with an invitation for Jesus to enter into these situations.  We will live in