Leadership: Building a Ministry Team

Building a Ministry Team (Choosing Leaders & Volunteers)

You can lead a team to victory! The only thing that stands between you and your goals is the strength of your ministry leadership team. These are the ways to accomplish what you want to do with your ministry through the development of leaders. You will discover how to educate, equip, elevate and emancipate others to lead.

DEFINITION OF A MINISTRY TEAM: A group of people you personally ask to help you lead your ministry.

SCRIPTURAL BASIS:
Gideon: (Judges 7): Went from 32,000 to 10,000 to 300 to a mighty army (see vv. 24-25)
David: (2 Samuel 23:8-39) “These are the names of David’s Mighty Men:”
Jesus: (Matthew 10 – this chapter is filled with great leadership instructions and truths)
Paul: (1 Cor. 3:5-9) Apollos, Barnabus, Silas, Mark, Onesimus, Timothy, List (Col. 4:7-18)

PUTTING TOGETHER A TEAM

You Must have a team to succeed, you cannot lead all alone.

Personally ask potential team leaders to be part of your team.

Look among your volunteers first, then your congregation.

UNDERSTANDING THE QUALITIES OF A MINISTRY TEAM LEADER

Passion: This is a desire to serve God and an unquenchable fervor.

Desire for Change: This person does not want to do it the way it was done in the past. He may
have experience, but make sure he is flexible to change and can effect change.

A person of influence: This person has connections in the church. She can gather together a
group of people to accomplish a task. She is well liked and admired by others.

Positive Attitude: This person always sees the bright side of things. He is cheerful and
optimistic.

Faithfulness: This person sticks and stays with an organization or task. She is always willing to
serve in a time of need. She doesn’t complain about serving or seek glory for doing her tasks.

Team Player: This person cares more about the team winning than personal glory. He is a
willing to do things that he may not like to do for the team’s benefit.



Building a Ministry Team (cont.’)

CHOOSING YOUR TEAM:

WARNING: If someone does NOT exhibit any of the qualities, do NOT ask them to
be part of your ministry team.

BE CAREFUL: If a person exhibits only one or two of the above qualities, they may not be candidates for your ministry leadership team. This person may be great to head up
special projects.

POTENTIAL: If a person exhibits three or four of the above qualities, you want them as part of your team, but they need training and direction from you.

POWERFUL: If a person exhibits five or six of the qualities, get them on your team.
You’ll be glad you did.

UNDERSTANDING THE LEVELS OF THOSE IN YOUR MINISTRY:

LEVEL 4 (your average volunteer): Will show up and do only the things you ask. Sometimes will not follow through.

May exhibit none or only one of the qualities
Meet with people on this level one to two times annually.


LEVEL 3 (your above average volunteer): Will always show up and do whatever you ask. Sometimes will surprise you with moments of excellence. May take others with them.

May exhibit 1-2 qualities
Meet with people on this level four to twelve times annually. Give them special projects to test them.


LEVEL 2 (your most excellent volunteer): Will always show up. Will do more than you ask. Will take others with them. Will be open to new ideas.

Will exhibit 3-4 qualities
Meet with people on this level once a month. Touch base with each a couple times a month.


LEVEL 1 (your achieving volunteers and leaders): Will always be there for you. Will go far beyond what you ask. Will take others with him/her. Will come up with his/her own goals, objectives, visions and dreams. Can handle any task given. Will always take on more than they can handle.

Will exhibit 5-6 qualities
Meet with people on this level once a week. Touch base with them often.
Let them lead people on levels 2-4.


Building a Ministry Team (cont.’)

EDUCATE OTHERS TO LEAD

Share with them your mission and vision

Share with them how you see them being a part of the mission and vision

Share with them your goals and objectives.

Share with them your time.

Share with them resources that will help them grow (books, tapes, conferences, workshops).


EQUIP OTHERS TO LEAD

Give them tools they need to accomplish their goals.

Give them a budget they can work with.

Give them specific jobs.

Give them their own goals, objectives, deadlines.

ELEVATING OTHERS TO LEAD

Lift up your vision and mission so that your team knows where you are going

Lift your level of expectation for those at all levels.

Lift people up to new levels of leadership as you see them exhibit more qualities.

Lift your own level of ministry and leadership so that you can take others with you.


EMANCIPATING OTHERS TO LEAD

Let Go of the phrase “we’ve always done it that way.”

Let Go of your grip on your ministry so that others can take hold of it and run with it.

Let Go of your pride that says, “If I don’t do it, it won’t be done right.”

Let Go of your leadership.

Let your Level One and Level Two Leaders lead levels Two, Three, and Four.