First Presbyterian Church of Moorestown

How First Presbyterian Church of Moorestown Built a More Aligned and Engaged Culture

Consistent
Growth

Shared
Language

200 Person
Culture Rollout

Client Overview

First Presbyterian Church of Moorestown is located in the heart of Moorestown, New Jersey, and has served its community for about 130 years. The church has around 1,000 members, with 400 to 500 people attending on a typical week, and they run activities almost every day of the week.

The church is supported by about 14 staff members and nearly 50 lay leaders who serve in a wide variety of roles. Under the leadership of Pastor Stuart Spencer, the church partnered with CultureWise to invest intentionally in their culture by creating “Ways,” their version of Fundamentals, and then building weekly rituals that helped strengthen alignment, engagement, and community across the congregation.

Why it Matters

For First Presbyterian Church of Moorestown, culture is not just an internal priority, it directly impacts how believable and attractive their message feels to the outside world. By strengthening community, alignment, and day-to-day behavior through their “Ways,” the church has been able to reinforce a more loving, kind, and mission-aligned culture that supports both spiritual growth and meaningful service to the broader community.

Challenges

The church had real cultural strengths, including a strong sense of identity, belonging, and generosity. But leadership also saw weaknesses that needed to be addressed, including silos across different ministry areas and a lack of collaboration across the church.

They also wanted to involve young people more meaningfully across the full life of the church, and they wanted to shift away from a culture that could be quick to find fault or raise criticism. Instead, leadership wanted to build a stronger culture of gratitude, appreciation, and shared purpose.

Solutions

CultureWise helped the church identify their Fundamental statements, which they call their “Ways,” and then begin putting them into practice through consistent ritualization. Each Sunday, the church highlights the “Way of the Week,” and it stays in focus from Sunday to Sunday through their website, text messaging, and email communication. Anytime the church gathers, whether it’s a choir rehearsal, committee meeting, or staff meeting, they spend three to five minutes reinforcing the Way of the Week by reading it, connecting it to scripture, and discussing practical ways to live it out.