Let’s get real. Ministry and faith-driven organizations aren’t immune to workplace dysfunction. Just because we’re serving God doesn’t automatically mean our organizational culture is always healthy. In fact, as a recruitment firm, our team has sadly had far to many conversations with candidates who have been seriously hurt by toxic environments while employed at faith-based organizations.

Toxic culture doesn’t just happen overnight. And it’s never intentional. It’s a slow leak that over time begins to poison everything – from team morale to mission effectiveness.

The Red Flags 🚩

Want to do a quick culture check and see how your organization is doing? Based on serving countless organizations and ministry leaders, below are some common red flags that we’ve seen as indicators of an unhealthy organizational culture.

1. Leadership by Fear Instead of Love

When team members are more afraid of making mistakes than excited about making impact, something’s wrong. Perfect love casts out fear – and an organization whose heart is to serve others should reflect a loving staff culture, not one motivated by fear.

2. Offline Conversations Are the Primary Communication Strategy

If hallway conversations feel like the main way you find out what’s “really going on”, rather than supportive dialogue and planned meetings, you’ve likely got a problem. Healthy teams speak life, and do so with openness.

3. Lack of Transparency

Secrets kill trust. When information becomes a power tool instead of a shared resource, your culture lacks the health it needs to thrive. Sure, there’s things that not everybody needs to know. But if there’s more that is hidden than visible, fear, skepticism and lack of trust will take over.

4. No Room for Healthy Disagreement

If challenging ideas or raising a hand means people are quickly labeled as, “not a team player” your organization has prioritized uniformity over creativity and process improvement. Yes – a team needs to be united and aligned around it’s mission, values and beliefs – but if there’s no room for discussion or disagreement, then there’s no room for growth.

5. Performance Over People

When metrics matter more than the individuals, the entire point of ministry has been missed. Certainly tracking things closely is important, but when KPIs are discussed more than real stories of life change – things might be getting out of balance.

6. Burnout is Celebrated as Spiritual Sacrifice

Exhaustion is not a badge of honor. It’s a warning sign. God calls us to sustainable ministry, not exhaustion. Healthy cultures celebrate rest as much or more than they do hard work.

7. Top-Down Leadership with Zero Empowerment

If all decisions flow from one person and team members feel like their only role is execution, creativity dies. Innovation, fun and a sense of meaningful contribution wanes – and that leads to an organization that is not only unhealthy, but where most staff have lost their passion and spark.

But ready for some good news?

Culture can change. It requires honesty, committed leadership, and often a return to the original values and mission that initially inspired the organization at it’s start. But with hard work, open conversations and humility, change can happen!

So – what are some practical ways to help build a healthier culture?

• Create safe feedback mechanisms
• Invest in leadership development so there’s opportunity for input and advancement within the organization
• Prioritize emotional and spiritual health with practical incentives and staff benefits
• Build a culture of radical candor and love

Your organization’s culture isn’t just an HR issue. It’s a spiritual issue. And God is calling us to always pursue health!