ROUND TABLE LEADERSHIP— MINISTRY TEAMS

     When Jesus was on earth, He did not minister alone.  Instead, He chose twelve men to be a part of His ministry. I believe that teams are still His choice for experiencing significant ministry today.  Leaders who shoulder too much responsibility alone ultimately tread the road to burnout.  “One shall put a thousand to flight, and two, ten thousand.”

What characterizes an effective ministry team?

• Commitment to a common purpose / goals

     To function properly team members must understand and share commitment to a vision or common goal of what they want to accomplish.

• Interdependence and accountability

     Strong teams consist of people who understand each other's strengths and weaknesses and who depend upon and support each other to carry out their mission. They are accountable to one another in areas of ministry responsibility and personal decision-making.

• Love and grace

     Every team member is a work in progress.  Because no one is perfect, they must bear with each other in failure and extending love and grace when necessary.

     For teams to function well and achieve their goals strong leadership is essential. Team leaders have several specific responsibilities in creating a team and caring for its members.

• Communicating the vision

     Leaders need to ask their team, "What do we want to accomplish?" and then guide them toward their ministry objectives. Once the vision is established, team leaders must continue to communicate that vision and help team members keep the big picture in mind. The leader needs to regularly remind the team what it does and why. Team leaders help their team members see how the team is successfully ministering and reaching its goals.

• Developing emerging leaders

     Strong, effective leaders continually identify and develop the leadership capacities of others by seeking to discover and understand their strengths and weaknesses, gifts and talents.  Therefore spending time with each team member is vital. As relationships with other team members grow, leaders will be in a better position to coach others toward tasks and responsibilities that suit them best.

• Creating community

     Team members need regular time together apart from their ministry tasks.  Weekend retreats and monthly or bimonthly social gatherings help cement relationships between team members. [Adapted from "All for one, one for all" by Monty Kelso-Worship Leader, March/April 1998 as reprinted in Current Thoughts & Trends, July 1998]

The goal is to create practical ways to form ministry teams that can transform old, dying congregations into vibrant ministries. As my primary model I want to begin with the theological model of God as Trinity.