I remember going into my first ministry position as a freshman in college. I was blessed to be invited to join the staff of a great church during my first semester at Randall University in Oklahoma. I was 17 years old and as inexperienced in ministry as they come. Over the next several years, I was tasked with various roles such as leading music, being a youth pastor, working in the Christian school, and leading evangelism training. In those early days, I didn’t have much training, skill, or experience, but I was fortunate to serve with a great team of people who guided, helped, and mentored me. For the next 15 years, I was part of teams in two great churches.
Eventually, I became a lead pastor. The things I had learned about the importance of team ministry left their mark on me and helped me fashion a team in the church I pastored (though it was only a team of two when I first arrived). Over the next few years, I worked to build a team to do exponentially more than I could do alone.
Teams are vital to every church, and all churches have some sort of team. Whether these teams are intentional or not is another story. Churches with intentional groups that function as healthy teams accomplish far more than hodgepodge teams made up of individual silos. Regarding teams,
I once heard it is crucial to build bridges and not silos. Teams that are bridges connect every aspect of the ministry and accomplish more than individuals working alone in their own areas.
Jesus provides the prime example of team building. Not long after starting His earthly ministry, He began calling disciples to follow Him. These disciples became the team that helped Him carry out His ministry. As pastors and church leaders, we may not call our team “disciples,” but they are our support, help, and comrades to fulfill the call God has placed on our lives.
Every pastor needs a team to help carry out the work of the ministry. I often talk to pastors and other church leaders who feel isolated, lonely, and sometimes even exiled. They feel like they serve alone, that every ministry responsibility falls on their shoulders. While it’s true the pastor is the leader of the church, he should never feel the entire weight of the ministry resting solely on him. One of the most effective things a pastor can do is build a team to help carry the weight. In Ephesians 4, the Apostle Paul reminded pastors one of their primary roles is equipping the saints for the work of the ministry. Ecclesiastes 4:12 reminds us two is better than one, and three is even better. Daniel had the support of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel 3).
Over the next several issues of ONE Magazine, the Refresh column will examine various aspects of the importance of teams within the context of ministry. The column will suggest ways to build and support ministry teams. These articles will be written by successful pastors and church planters leading healthy ministries built around a team concept. I hope you will read each article carefully and prayerfully consider the positive impact of building a healthy team to lead your church.
For now, I trust you will pray for and with the team God has placed under your care. If you can’t identify who that is, begin praying today that God will help you build a ministry team around you in the coming months. We are here to help. For immediate information about building ministry teams, visit fwbnam.com/fresh-wind.
