Data-Driven Leadership: How Facing the Truth About Culture Builds Trust and Strengthens Your Church

What happens when church leaders are willing to face the truth about their culture—even when it’s uncomfortable? In this episode, Brad Cooper, Lead Pastor of Culture and Direction at NewSpring Church, shares how honest feedback and engagement data helped their leadership team build trust, alignment, and a stronger staff culture over time.

Click here to watch the full episode on YouTube.

About This Episode

Healthy culture begins with clarity—and clarity requires listening. In this episode, Brad Cooper shares how NewSpring Church used employee engagement surveys to surface blind spots, respond to a season of leadership challenge, and intentionally strengthen trust across their staff team. Rather than relying on assumptions, leaders chose to face what the data revealed and act on it together. Brad explains how that commitment reshaped decision-making, leadership expectations, and long-term culture health across the organization.

Episode Highlights

• 04:39– A defining moment that reshaped NewSpring’s culture

• 08:34 – Why culture must be owned by everyone—not just leadership

• 12:01 – How data removes emotion and reveals truth

• 16:59 – The shift to team-based leadership and shared responsibility

• 23:40 – Building trust through consistency, transparency, and discipline

Meet the Guest

Brad Cooper is Lead Pastor of Culture and Direction at NewSpring Church, a multi-site church based in South Carolina. He helps shape staff culture, leadership development, and organizational clarity across the church’s campuses. With more than a decade of partnership with Best Christian Workplaces, Brad brings practical insight into how churches can use honest feedback to strengthen trust and build healthier teams.

Resources Mentioned

• Best Christian Workplaces: Employee Engagement Survey

Episode Transcript:

A full, word-for-word transcript of this episode is available here.

Next Steps for Leaders:

If this episode challenged or encouraged you, share it with a fellow leader who cares deeply about building a healthy, Christ-centered culture.

Subscribe to Called to Flourish to continue exploring how leaders and workplace cultures can flourish.

• YouTube
• Apple
• Spotify