Yeah, that title would be considered false advertising. Team building is not easy, but it is critically important. The foundation for any successful ministry or organization is a strong team.
A group of people who trust each other completely, share ideas openly, engage in healthy conflict, and feed off the group’s collective passion and energy.
If you have experienced a healthy ministry team you know what I am talking about. There is nothing that they won’t try to accomplish, and nothing they won’t do to accomplish it.
On the other hand, if you have been part of a dysfunctional team you know how it can hinder any momentum or success in program. Personal opinions are staunchly held , consensus is never reached, and discord always exists behind the scenes. You spend more time doing damage control then you do ministering to teens.
You would think building a strong youth ministry team (and by this I mean paid staff AND volunteers) would be easy. There have been thousands of books, blogs, and articles written on the subject. Of course, with so much information on the topic it can be overwhelming to filter through it all and try to figure out what will work for you. Have no fear! I believe it can be filtered down to three simple points. These points may not represent all of the information you need to develop a good team, but it will provide a strong foundation that you can build on. In a recent blog post Seth Godin presents these key ideas beautifully:
- Don’t demand authority
- Eagerly take responsibility
- Relentlessly give credit
I don’t think these concepts need a whole lot of explanation on what I think they mean. Take some time today to think about what these three points mean to you and how you can implement them as you work on building a healthy ministry team. I can’t remember who said it (there are thousands of leadership books after all), but a leader is someone who takes all of the blame and gives away all of the credit. Become this kind of leader and you are on your way to cultivating a group of people who will do anything to accomplish God’s will for the students in your youth group.
John
