t-blog

It has been said, “There is no “I” in team. While it is obvious that this statement is accurate, it may not be true in real life. Change some letters around and you will discover the word “me.” Teams win championships. Players win MVP’s. Every coach, every CEO, every shift manager, and every pastor desires to find the championship team made up of MVP’s. This may be the pinnacle.

Remember the 1992 U. S. Olympic Men’s Basketball Team, also known as “The Dream Team,” That was a moment in sports and Olympic history when the team was the best it could be. Can this be translated to the business world? Better yet, can this be translated to leadership in the church?

I believe there are five keys (at least) to developing a leadership team in church ministry.

Key #1 – Finding the Right Team Members

Any team’s success is dependent in part on the chemistry of the team members and how they trust and relate to each other and the mission. Pat MacMillan, author of The Performance Factor, said “the power of a team flows out of each team member’s alignment to its purpose.” The right team members have an understanding that the mission of the ministry is the ultimate priority. Every team member is willing to set aside personal ambition for the sake of the mission. It is what MacMillan calls “common purpose.”

I am continually looking for the perfect team of leaders, both paid staff & volunteer staff. I have learned that I haven’t quite figured it all out. But there are some things that I try to do to help that “Dream Team” come together.

• Pray - Matthew 9:38 tells me to “pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send out more workers for his fields.” (NLT)
• Promote – The church body cannot support or participate in that which it does not know exists.
• Prospects – Don’t limit your prospect list to people who are just like you. remember the body of Christ has many parts.
• Plan Ahead – Desperation is a dangerous enemy to team building. Time is the ingredient that allows the team leader to identify individual compatibility to the team and its mission in ministry.
• Be Personal – nothing replaces the power of personal contact in church ministry. Avoid relying on emails, text messages, Facebook, Twitter, and phone calls. meet in person at the church or in the community.