Cortisol, the stress hormone, is often associated with negative effects that prolonged stress puts on our bodies. Those effects include weight gain, anxiety, heart disease, depressed immune system, digestive problems, sleep impairment and even effects on memory.
But could churches be negatively affected by cortisol as well? That is, if the leaders and culture of that church are constantly stressed, and flooded with cortisol themselves, could it affect the church negatively?
I think it can and does in many churches.
Consider these nine tell-tale signs of a church flooded with cortisol.
1. Your leadership team seems to always be uptight, tired and sick a lot.
2. Little trust between staff, elders and the people in general exists.
3. The leaders constantly push something bigger and better. You often switch from one great idea to the next.
4. You have lots of staff turnover.
5. An atmosphere of suspicion and “the wary eye” seems to pervade the church and your teams.
6. Staff meetings are conflict filled or staff simply don’t say much in meetings for fear they will get reprimanded.
7. A heavy spirit seems to linger over the office and even the church itself.
8. Tension and conflict fill elder and/or deacon meetings.
9. You seem to focus most on problems rather than victories or stories of how God is working.
How many of these did you check? Granted, spiritual forces are at work here as well. It’s not just a biological thing.
But if more than two of these are true of your church, you might need to take a good look at your church’s stress level.
How might a church dial down a cortisol culture? Consider these potential antidotes.
