Ministry Management
Building a Team
(By Jim
Harper)
"I'm just a plowhand
from Arkansas, but I have learned how to hold a team together
. . . how to lift some men up, how to calm down others, until
they've got one heartbeat together . . ."
Bear Bryant
A Team is a: "Group of people
trained or organized to work together."
Building a team is a must if you want to grow
your church and not work yourself to death in the process.
Whether you are putting together a committee for a project
or assembling a church staff, if you build your team right
from the start you can avoid conflicts, confusion and misunderstanding
and get your objectives accomplished quickly and efficiently.
If the team leader or facilitator is one who is a servant/relational
leader and not a positional/authoritarian leader, building
a team will be easy and with lots of cooperation.
How to build a team:
- Determine what your goals and strategies
are and what skill or talents you will need and to achieve
them and then select team members who fill those requirements.
Diversity adds strength to a team.
- Set your ground rules, expectations and boundaries
of authority. This will minimize conflicts. All members
need to be "team players."
- Make sure each member knows the long and short-term
goals.
- Set up a system of measuring your progress
and make it accessible to the team.
- Empower the members by giving them the authority
and tools needed to achieve the team goals and objectives.
- Make sure all team members have mutual trust
for one another and perceive the team as being fair, reasonable,
friendly and beneficial to the individual and the group.
- Don't abandon your team members to outside
pressures. If you want them to be loyal to you, you be loyal
to them.
- Model the behavior and action that you want
your team members to exhibit.
- The team leader has to see the big picture
and has the responsibility to keep the team motivated and
inspired. "The key to effective management is the ability
to encourage."
- Build unity in your teams by developing a
unique symbol, motto or slogan that all of them can identify
with.
- Invest into the team by providing training
and instructions that will enhance the efforts and effectiveness
of the team.
Team Work Benefits:
- If misunderstandings or conflicts arise
and team members work them out they will become more unified
and committed.
- As you work with and train your team you multiply
yourself and free up more of your time.
- The more the team is involved in the planning
process the more they will be motivated and committed to
complete objectives.
- You can get more done in less time with less
effort.
- When people are a part of a team they are
fulfilling the basic needs of "purpose and companionship"
in their lives.
- As you keep the team informed they will feel
they are part of the loop and it will promote self-esteem.
- As the congregation sees dynamic benefits
of being on a team, they will want to be part of a team.
- Working as a team will enhance creativity,
challenging actions and quality decision-making.
- Team building gets more of the church members
doing more of the work.
- You will discover and develop the talents
and skills of your congregation.
Jesus was a great team builder. After he prayed
and was filled with the Spirit He went and recruited His team.
We can clearly identify His inner circle team of three, the
twelve and the seventy. As He demonstrated servant leadership
He was the master team member model. The words "WE and
US" should be the flowing pronouns in your vocabulary.
If you are tired of doing all the work yourself, start building
your teams and start growing your church. You can't do it
alone.
"And if one prevail
against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord
is not quickly broken."
Eccl 4:12
By:
Jim Harper
Missionary/Itinerate Minister
Founder of "Radical Church Growth"
Email:
jhm-acc@cfaith.com
Web site:
www.jimharper.org
U.S. Address:
Jim Harper Ministries
303 East 2nd Street #1032
Skiatook, OK 74070 U.S. phone: (619) 757 9453
We pray that these "Ministry
Management Tips" have been a blessing to you and will
help you grow your church or ministry. You may forward these
to anyone who may benefit from them.
Your feedback and comments
are welcomed. We are looking forward to hearing from you!
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