As you walk up the stairwell into an old dinner-theater-turned-church, you begin to hear it. There’s activity in the air. Laughter, music and warm conversations greet you as you enter the Red Rocks Church central offices.

Time and again, I’ve watched visitors respond to the inviting atmosphere as they enter the common room. Their faces reflect the same feeling I get when I walk in. There’s a strong sense that people really want to be here.

Culture is a vital part of any thriving organization — a fact that church leaders must genuinely acknowledge. The truth is, a healthy staff  culture can be the driving force for continual growth in a church and the single most important asset in the organization. Who we are and who we want to be have everything to do with who is on the team. But how do we find a team and keep it in place?

In the 10 years Red Rocks Church has been around, we have seen Christ build His church right before our very eyes. Subsequently, our employee roster has grown as the church has grown. Along the way, I don’t believe anyone on our leadership team has ever said, “Let’s build a team that will always stay together.”

A healthy staff  culture can be the driving force for continual growth in a church and the single most important asset in the organization.

Yet that’s basically what has happened. Don’t misunderstand; there have been times when a team member had to transition out for various reasons. However, for the most part, self-ejection or forced attrition is a rarity at Red Rocks Church.

For longevity to become a reality, we must establish, above all else, the commitment to develop a strong team culture. This takes consistent thought, prayer and patience.

We are serious about hiring the right people. We know that each team member will enhance or potentially disrupt the direction of the team. Thus, many careful conversations go into every hiring decision we make. Among other variables, we commonly discuss the five C’s when assessing a potential staff member.

1. Character. The character of the employee must be intact.
2. Competency. There has to be strong competency for the job.
3. Calling. A clear and recognized calling must be evident.
4. Culture. A cultural fit among the other teammates has to be noticeable.
5. Custodian attitude. As odd as this may sound, each team member must have the heart of a custodian.

We believe in this principle so much that we will hire the right person even if there is no specific job available at the time. Red Rocks Church is committed to having the best people on board, so we build in margin to make this happen, knowing that if we have the best people on our team, the right opportunities for them will arise. A strong team is foundational to the forward movement of the church.

Taking great care of people once they join the team directly contributes to the overall health of the organization. With this in mind, we pay our employees a proper living wage while providing top-notch health and retirement benefits. We promote good physical health by providing a gym membership our staff can utilize. Realizing that ministry can be overwhelmingly stressful on team members and their families, we choose to provide mandated staff counseling for couples and individuals alike with our certified staff counselor. Our team knows they have someone with whom they can talk and walk through difficult seasons, at no charge. To help strengthen marriages, we pay for employee date nights once a month. What may be the best perk of all is the extra time off our lead pastor usually dishes out the week after our big Christmas and Easter events.

We strive to cultivate an I-want-to-work-there atmosphere — a goal we view as healthy, not shallow. Rarely a week goes by that one or more people does not approach me to ask about joining the staff. People want to work here, which is both humbling and amazing. This is one of the best indicators of momentum in a healthy organization — people within the church wanting to bring their talents and experiences to the table.

Hearing and believing the short phrase “Dream Here” is personally my favorite benefit at Red Rocks Church. If nothing else promotes team longevity, this does. We wholeheartedly believe that every employee should not only realize his or her ministry calling and dreams, but also live them out in and through the church. In other words, there is no reason for people to leave until God moves them. It may not happen next month or next year, but at the right time there will be opportunities to move laterally or vertically, perhaps leading or even launching a ministry that God births.

Gone are the days when a young minister had to bounce from church to church and position to position to gain the necessary experience to accomplish ministry goals. Longevity is making a comeback! It may not be possible to build a strong leadership team and keep it together forever, but it certainly pays to try.

This article originally appeared in the December-January 2016 issue of Influence magazine.