Leadership Team = Leader + Team
Spiritual Leadership Team Series
Church leadership teams are not committees, advisory groups, or management teams. These are all important functions that have a time and place in healthy spiritual organizations. Especially as churches get larger, there is a need for good management of programs, finances, policies, budgets, events, communications, etc.
Too often churches settle for management, however, when leadership is needed. Management is easier, it’s safer, and it’s fine as long as we’re perfectly happy with where things are and just want that to continue. If we seek change and growth, however, leadership is needed.
Jesus was a leader. Stirred by the darkness and lostness of the world, he left the security of heaven and set out on a rescue mission. He came to start a movement, to build a Kingdom. To do that, he needed men and women willing to follow at any cost. Only the most devoted would stay with him.
Church leadership teams must be willing and able to lead. There are many ways to do this. The best way is to have a trained leader with the faith, vision, gifts and courage to lead. A good leader can transform a good team into a great one. If a team is unable or unwilling to bring in a trained leader, the team itself must find ways to cultivate the leadership capacity within it. Outside support and training for members of the group is a vital to building leadership team skills.
Great leaders are good team builders. Jesus led in a way that drew men and women to him. They felt safe. Just look at how real the disciples were in his presence. Jesus sent out the twelve in small teams of two. These partnerships would help these young leaders develop deeper connections and serve as the DNA for leading in teams in the years to come. Leaders who were more attracted to power and position, who were unwilling to work in teams, would ultimately falter (Judas, Simon the Sorcerer, Diotrephes, “who loves to be first,” etc.). Servant leaders who matched faith and courage with humility, who were connectors and team builders, built teams that built the church.
Great teams value and support good leaders. Barnabas rallied others around Paul even as many questioned him. If a leader, leadership team and Board do not come together in heart, spirit, vision and relationship, trouble follows. Integrating new leaders, especially younger leaders, into existing teams can be particularly challenging. It takes time, attention and support to navigate through the “Forming” and “Storming” phases of group development. Leaders and teams that grow together, however, grow churches.