Jathaniel.com

The most important element of any team is trust. Team based ministry is centered around trust, just as any organization or team is. But what is trust exactly? And, what does it look like?

A good working definition of trust comes back to a key word…expectation. As members of a team, each person has an expectation of each other especially in the areas of mutual vulnerability and of each other’s role in the mission of the team. The leader or visionary for the team must speak as to what his/her expectation is of everyone else, and he/she must be crystal clear about it. But that isn’t it. There is mutuality on a team, so to some extent the team must do the same for the leader. A leader cannot just assume that he/she already knows what everyone will need to be equipped for the mission. After it is CLEARLY communicated and received, then that is where trust starts becoming less of a thing you have and something that you do. But as a team you cannot have trust without communicating clearly defined expectations. If it isn’t clear and you think your team has trust, then you can find yourself in a fragile position as a leader. Clear communication is essential to establish trust on a team.

A team is not a leaderless environment. On each team there is a leader who is responsible for the accountability of the team and vision, but the leader is not the one solely responsible for the mission of the team. Teams are not necessarily democratic, but they are communal in that it requires everyone to be mutually submissive at different points. On a team, decisions are not always made by verdicts or unanimous decisions. Decisions are usually made by a consensus. A leader should rarely, if ever, have to over-ride the consensus of the team if the team is truly focused on the vision and mission of the team. If a leader has to do this on a regular occasion then the team as a whole is dysfunctional. This is dangerous ground for a leader because dysfunction if not addressed can lead to malfunction. Malfunctioning teams are toxic, and this toxicity can spread to affect the entire organization. For a team to truly function as a team, the team must all own and share the vision, and that vision must be effectively communicated and received on a regular and recurring basis.

Because of the intimate interaction that occurs on a team, this makes a team a fertile environment for growth. Growth happens on many different levels and by various means. I will list these as they pertain to me, a youth minister.

1. Growing Spiritually: As members of the same team, who are engaged youth ministry and rally around the cause of reaching out to unreached youth, spiritual growth is essential. Spiritual Growth in a team setting is often spurred along by accountability. We must hold each other accountable for our growth. This is of utmost importance because our team is built upon and relies upon the spiritual growth of the team. Without discipline and focus on our spiritual growth, we have no goal, no vision, and no team.

2. Growing Relationally: When you are a part of a team, you are around others. This is a great environment to get to know others and allow them to get to know you. This cannot happen without mutual vulnerability. Part of being on a team and being able to grow relationally involves you being vulnerable. You put your ideas, opinions, work, and your soul out there for the sake of the goal and guess what…people see the real you. This makes it possible to develop deeper relationships with others.

3. Growing Personally: OK, so you won’t grow to be as tall as Yao Ming or as muscular as John Cena, but you will grow. By personally, I mean intellectually and emotionally. We are each made to be one in a zillion. There is no one who is exactly like us. There will be differences in opinions because we do not all bring the same thinking and experiences to the table. And, if you are all passionate about the vision or goal, then there will be some very passionate, heated discussions. Yes, there will be. BUT, we must seek those times to swallow pride, hold our tongue, or speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4) and learn to do it. This requires us to grow to that point in order for the team to thrive.

There is often a lot of talk about doing ministry from a team-based approach. At our local church we do this; actually, we are pretty new at it. But, we can all see the benefits of doing ministry this way. It’s even biblical. But, what is it exactly? I think whether you work in ministry or in the corporate world these principles are transcendent.

I choose to define a team as a group of people with complementary skills, who have affinity to on another (something in common), who are invited not elected, by another to:

• Strive for and achieve a common goal and place that goal before their individual interest;
• Put their skills to use along side others;
• Hold each other accountable to the goal or vision.

A teams are made up of individuals who, in the interest of achieving a common goal, form alliances and partnerships to accomplish that goal. When someone joins a team, they do not lose their individuality. In fact, many times the opposite occurs. By working with and on a team, a person can truly find out who he/she is. Without other people in our lives, our identities cannot be affirmed by a community.

Each member expresses his/her individuality around a common goal. In doing this, an individual’s identity becomes intertwined with the identity of the team. This is what is cohesiveness is about when referring to teams.