The 411 - Ministry Teams
Q. Why do we emphasize ministering in teams?
It’s true! At Norkenzie Christian Church we have a Ministry Team approach to fulfilling our mission as a church family. There are reasons for this.
Biblical Reasons
The Bible describes the church as the family of God and the Body of Christ. These are powerful images that communicate the fact that we are all interconnected. We need each other. Paul wrote in Romans 12:
God created us with a need for community. In the church it is more than a nice option, we actually belong to one another. I need your gifts and you need mine if we’re going to fully be the Body of Christ and represent Jesus to our community.
This past Saturday I read a well known Christian leader’s ‘tweet’ on Twitter that said: “Tmrw message: If I, as pastor, do for you what God has called you to do, I fail at my task, you fail at yours, & the mission of God suffers.”
What he said well (in 140 characters or less!) was the biblical principle found in Ephesians 4, which says:
It’s true that not all of us are Elders or Pastors or Teachers, but all of us ARE Ministers. We all have ‘works of service’ that God has called and equipped us to do! I liked the tweet! It was challenging to me. If I do other people’s ministries then I’m not doing my ministry, I’m stealing the joy of service from others and none of it gets done very well. The mission does suffer.
So, we work in Teams! As people grow in their relationship with Jesus and discover more of the gifts and talents that He has given them, they join with others in accomplishing greater goals through the church than any of us could do alone! We are a part of the Body of Christ, working together to strengthen the Body and give testimony to our community about the love and grace of Jesus Christ.
Practical Reasons
Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
Romans 12:4-5
God created us with a need for community. In the church it is more than a nice option, we actually belong to one another. I need your gifts and you need mine if we’re going to fully be the Body of Christ and represent Jesus to our community.
This past Saturday I read a well known Christian leader’s ‘tweet’ on Twitter that said: “Tmrw message: If I, as pastor, do for you what God has called you to do, I fail at my task, you fail at yours, & the mission of God suffers.”
What he said well (in 140 characters or less!) was the biblical principle found in Ephesians 4, which says:
It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Ephesians 4:11-13
It’s true that not all of us are Elders or Pastors or Teachers, but all of us ARE Ministers. We all have ‘works of service’ that God has called and equipped us to do! I liked the tweet! It was challenging to me. If I do other people’s ministries then I’m not doing my ministry, I’m stealing the joy of service from others and none of it gets done very well. The mission does suffer.
So, we work in Teams! As people grow in their relationship with Jesus and discover more of the gifts and talents that He has given them, they join with others in accomplishing greater goals through the church than any of us could do alone! We are a part of the Body of Christ, working together to strengthen the Body and give testimony to our community about the love and grace of Jesus Christ.
Practical Reasons
If you were given the task of teaching 120 children about Jesus, could you do it on your own? Hahahaha… we laugh at the thought! How could I teach 120 children of varying ages about anything? This is a very practical reason for Ministry Teams. We cannot do much of anything on our own. We need each other!
What’s more, in Ministry Teams good ideas can become even better! I’ve seen it hundreds of times. A good idea is thrown out to the Team and then creative juices begin to flow! One idea leads to another. One ‘what if’ prompts another ‘what if’ and before long the initial good idea has become a GREAT idea! This doesn’t happen much when you are by yourself. You need a group of people who care about that ministry. There’s a word for this. It’s called “synergy.” Synergy only happens when we work together! And good ideas become great.
What about Committees?
What’s more, in Ministry Teams good ideas can become even better! I’ve seen it hundreds of times. A good idea is thrown out to the Team and then creative juices begin to flow! One idea leads to another. One ‘what if’ prompts another ‘what if’ and before long the initial good idea has become a GREAT idea! This doesn’t happen much when you are by yourself. You need a group of people who care about that ministry. There’s a word for this. It’s called “synergy.” Synergy only happens when we work together! And good ideas become great.
What about Committees?
Committees are fine - we just don’t have committees! The main distinction I make between a committee and a Ministry Team is this: While both committees and Ministry Teams have meetings and make decisions, committees decide who is going to be recruited to do what they’ve decided to do, while Ministry Teams are the one who are going to do what they’ve decided. What’s great about this is that the people who are actually doing the ministry are the ones leading and making decisions about the ministry.
In our church we are all under the spiritual leadership of our Elders. For many years these men have consistently empowered our Ministry Teams to do the work of ministry. Our Elders faithfully do the work they’ve been called to do in shepherding, encouraging and guiding the church family. And guess what!? They work as a Team!
Ministry Teams – a beautiful thing in the Kingdom of Heaven and at Norkenzie!
In our church we are all under the spiritual leadership of our Elders. For many years these men have consistently empowered our Ministry Teams to do the work of ministry. Our Elders faithfully do the work they’ve been called to do in shepherding, encouraging and guiding the church family. And guess what!? They work as a Team!
Ministry Teams – a beautiful thing in the Kingdom of Heaven and at Norkenzie!
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