Part 1: The Data Behind Church Culture | An Interview with Jeff Strong

Описание: Jeff Strong worked nearly 30 years in the consumer products industry as a senior executive at Procter & Gamble and global president and chief customer officer at Johnson & Johnson. He then taught in the Marriott School of Business at Brigham Young University and worked as an advisor to the Church before serving as a mission leader in the Arkansas Bentonville Mission. Jeff has since spent several years doing research on why people are leaving the Church. While not a professional researcher, his career involved a large amount of research and the research he shares in this podcast was done with the help of some of the top Latter-day Saint researchers in the world. Today, Jeff lives in Midway, Utah, and stays busy with a little lavender farm, some business consulting, and enjoying family.

In this conversation, Jeff dives deep into the tension between church culture and personal beliefs, and how embracing it can lead to growth and understanding within our church community. He discusses the findings from a comprehensive survey that aimed to understand disaffiliation and the tensions members experience in their church lives.

A key takeaway is the importance of understanding what members love about the Church, revealing the core values that bind members together, despite the tensions they may feel. Jeff talks about the tensions present in church culture, emphasizing the dual facets of this conflict: the tension between tradition and change, and the tension arising from our differences. He explores how members often feel a significant conflict in their church experience, with many expressing discomfort with the culture. Jeff presents data indicating that nearly half of the respondents felt a significant conflict, and more than half did not feel a strong sense of belonging in their congregations. Throughout the conversation, he emphasizes the importance of recognizing and embracing this tension rather than attempting to eliminate it.

00:02:23 - Discussion on What People Value in the Church
00:03:00 - Background of the Survey and Its Reach
00:07:33 - Top Valued Aspects of the Church
00:13:42 - The Two Facets of Tension: Tradition vs. Change and Differences
00:20:31 - Survey Findings on Conflict, Belonging, and Comfort in Church
00:24:55 - Personal vs. Cultural Priorities in the Church
00:32:09 - The Value of Differences and Embracing Tension
00:41:31 - Advice for Leaders on Addressing Tension
00:50:18 - Different Experiences of Comfort with Church Culture
00:54:19 - Perspectives on How Christ-Centered the Culture Is
01:02:59 - Drivers of Church Culture: Tradition, Community, and Leaders

WATCH PART 2 HERE:    • Part 2: 6 Types of People in Your Ward | A...