"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 correctly 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 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).

(We pray that this Ministry Management Tip has been a blessing to you and will help you grow your church or ministry. You may forward it to anyone who may benefit from it.)

Copyright © Jim Harper Ministries
All rights reserved. Used by permission.