The essential component of ministry leadership is Team Building.
When Jesus said to follow Him, He was setting an example of how to create a ministry that would allow for maximum sustainable growth. Jesus started small with a few (Luke 5), then chose twelve (Luke 6:12-16), and then He sent seventy-two (Luke 10).
As a ministry leader, much will be expected of you; if you try to do everything on your own, you will eventually burn out.
Build teams that create communities, and watch what God does!
Do not look at daily tasks from a perspective of what YOU have to do; instead, think about WHO can do what you need done.
Let us repeat that, do not think about what you need to do; think about who can do what you need to be done.
Serving the church is a blessing, and when we try to do everything on our own, we are stealing opportunities from the church members to participate in what God is doing.
If you build up a team that can tackle some of your tasks, you will free up your time so that you can lead, encourage, and support your team. A strong team starts with solid leadership.
A good ministry is built on the foundation and strength of the most significant leadership the world has ever known, the leadership of Jesus Christ.
Let’s look at the way that Jesus started His ministry, a ministry that 2000 years later is still going strong and has blossomed into more than two billion people around the world, doing the things that Jesus wanted done.
Steps to building the team.
Jesus prayed. Before Jesus called the twelve disciples, Scripture teaches us that He went up to a mountain to pray (Luke 6:12).
Start with prayer.
Ask God to bring the right people into your life (Matthew 7:7). If we ask for provision for the mission we have been called into, God will provide.
Be sure you know what you’re asking God to provide!
Have you determined WHO you need, to do WHAT you need done?
Let’s look into that.
First, look at your organization, and determine what tasks you need done.
For a ministry, what we are looking for are volunteers, so from that way of thinking, we want to break down our task list into small jobs that we could ask volunteers to do.
Let us say we are building a Sunday morning church service ministry.
Here are some Core Leader roles that we might consider.
Hospitality.
This person would be responsible for First Impression volunteers. Those include; Greeters, Information Desk, Coffee, and Aisle Hosts are some of the roles that might fall under the responsibility of a Hospitality Core Leader.
So, with that in mind, we would want to pray for a Core Leader in each of those areas.
Once God provides the right people, it’s your responsibility to lead them well. Teaching them the culture of love and service that Jesus taught. Jesus did not say that He wanted us to be great leaders, He called on us to be servants (Mark 10:45).
The Apostle Paul teaches this when he writes, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.”
As a leader, lead with love as Christ did, and people will follow you because they are following Christ.
As you build your team, I encourage starting with three Core Leaders with whom you can build the ministry. Jesus had three. Peter, James, and John. Those were the three He brought with Him most.
Who are your three?
Pray, asking God to reveal your team to you.
When He does give you your three, you can delegate a Key Role to each of them.
NOW WE BEGIN TO RECRUIT!
Be intentional about asking people to help your ministry.
Learn what people are passionate about and match them to a job that will excite them.
There are so many ways to lead people by demonstrating a life of service.
Pray for people, and then let them see Jesus in you and through you.
Jesus prayed that we would be one, as He and the Father are one.
We get to unify people by delegating activities that help people maximize their gifts.
Build teams, and your work will resonate through the church, growing the body of Christ.
