Enter a search phrase:

A Newsletter of Biblically Balanced Ministries, Inc.

TEAM UNITY

     The Lord has blessed our pastoral ministry with an exceptional unity in the past several years. Like most pastors I have to admit that this has not always been my experience. Sincerely, this has become one of the blessings for which I most praise God. What I would like to do in this article is briefly outline some of the basic principles on which this unity has become a reality at the church where I pastor.
     First is the “mutual commitment” of our staff to be examples, following Paul’s exhortation “to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called . . . endeavoring to keep the unity of Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:1-3). We do not believe we have created the unity, but that the Holy Spirit has created the unity. We are simply “preserving the unity.” The staff unity has become an example to our boards, so that three boards consisting of twenty-five members has also manifested a unity in decision making. New members are asked to sign a “Fellowship Commitment” basically expressing the same concept of “preserving the unity of the Spirit.”
     Second is the shared “doctrinal conviction.” A danger in emphasis on unity can be imbalance and a compromise of biblical convictions. Our church has come from a diverse doctrinal background, and the result is that there can be many different views within the congregation. Again, it is our pastoral staff that is expected to maintain a clear unity in doctrinal conviction. While there can be respect for differences, the pastoral staff speaks with one voice on doctrinal matters. This helps to prevent confusion and division.
     A third principle is the necessity of a shared “philosophical approach” to ministry. Diversity in our culture has produced a wide range of ministry philosophies. Unity in ministry requires a clearly defined philosophy of ministry and a leadership team that supports it. When a staff is unified on an approach to ministry the next step is training your overall leadership team to understand and adopt the approach. This requires making certain that your purposes, vision, and strategy are clearly defined.
     The fourth principle in unity is a “functional organization.” Scripture identifies biblical positions and functions more definitively than the actual organization. Clearly defined in Scripture are the offices of elder and deacon. Emphasis in the Bible is on the character requirements for such offices (1 Timothy 3, Acts 6, Titus 1). A few of the organizational concepts we have tried to implement are: (1) Understanding the different functions between boards and administration, (2) Clearly defining operating procedures by the boards, (3) Allowing pastoral staff the latitude to lead, and (4) Seeking to help people find their place in ministry based on understanding their own profile.
     Personally, I thank God for the work of His Spirit in our pastoral staff and leadership, and for the growing “team unity.” Paul’s words express where we are as a church, “Not that I [we] have already attained or are already perfected; but I [we] press on” (Philippians 3:12).


Note: The principles in the above article are incorporated in the seminar/workshop entitles "Building Balanced Teams." If you are interested in scheduling one of these Team Leadership workshops contact Gary Becker.
 

by Gary R. Becker, President