"Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose. Luke 6:12-13 NKJV
The Lord Jesus is our example in teamTbuilding. This was one of the very first things he did in ministry. You must realize that He had quite a large number of followers, but a time came when he handpicked disciples. In other words, he raised and built a team.
Now, building and maintaining effective church workers' teams is a time consuming and sensitive process particularly in ministry where the pressures of the moment are often intense.
Most attempts at ministry team building don't work well, simply because leaders and workers fail to appreciate the effort that has to be invested in time and attention to detail. The truth is, when done well, teamwork contributes considerably to greatly improved productivity and reduced costs in the local assembly.
Research has shown that the following key factors are responsible for a team's ineffectiveness or outright failure:
i. Poor leadership of the team or the organization.
ii. The inability of the team or the organization [ministry] to establish clear goals that team members can relate to, and
iii. An inability by sub-teams [or departments] to clearly define their own roles within the larger team.
More important is the failure by the team to handle its own interpersonal relationships.
1. Poor Leadership Of The Team Or The Organization
A minister friend once complained that his workers did not do well in the publicity for a particular programme. As we discussed, I made him realize that he provided no leadership in that particular instance. He did not point out the goals that he wanted them to achieve, so naturally they did what they thought was best to do.
As the sent-minister, the onus rests on you to make the ministry work. Your workers can only express your leadership. The Lord said to me in May1991, “Workers in the ministry are like flames but until the leaders know how to fire them up, the work of ministry will not get done.” It has been said that people are at the core of any organization, and leadership determines their effectiveness or otherwise.
Solution: You can improve your leadership by improving your choices, decisions and actions. Find a Mentor to help you. A Mentor’s input can help you become successful in your weak areas. Cultivate environments that challenge you to be better. In the words of Wilson Woodrow, “I use not only all the brains I have, but all I can borrow.” You can borrow other brains through reading, listening to teachings, attending seminars, etc. The truth is leaders are made more than born.
2. Inability To Establish Clear Goals That Team Members Can Relate To
In the course of responding to invitations to train church workers, my team usually asks prospective hosts a number of questions, “Where exactly do you want your workers to go? Where are they now? What are the results you expect from training?” Often we get immeasurable answers like, “I want their dedication to service to improve?” And I find myself wondering, “How will you know when their dedication to service improves?” Dedication could mean a whole load of things. It could mean promptness to meetings, or meeting project deadlines. It could mean innovativeness in service or simply an ability to be focused on set assignments and goals.
At our 2006 Leaders Communication Seminar, it was highlighted
that leaders usually use vague terms to express goals. For example, “Let's
build a great choir”, “Our ushers should be better dressed”, etc. How can
anyone describe what 'great choir' or 'better dressed' ushers look like?
Communication, for effective team building, is hinged on definitions, and the
clearer your definitions, the shorter the time span required by your workers to
achieve your God-given goals.
Solution: Work at defining your goals in measurable terms. Stop using vague terms. Find expressions that your workers can point to as the goal. That way they'll know when they've achieved it. Develop your communication skills. Enter for a Communication Skills programme [of course I recommend that run by Vision Builders!]
3. Inability By Sub-Teams [Or Departments] To Clearly Define Their Own Roles Within The Larger Team
An absence of clear goals will naturally lead to undefined team roles. In discussing with one of our Board members on structuring our Church Department's Work-flow Program, a grave reality we saw was how church workers fight themselves in the course of spiritual service simply because team roles are not clearly defined.
Some departments' duties overlap due to unclear team roles already paving the way for unnecessary friction. Greeters believe they should hand out the bulletins, but Ushers think they are more qualified to do that.
Solution: The truth is, only the eyes can see and only the nose can smell! You can conduct Orientation Programs for your departmental leaders with written out statements and codes of operation. We revere the business world for being so organized but we fail to implement the simple principles that make them organized. Your leaders must be able to identify what exactly their duties are or else they'll be like blind men leading the blind.
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