June 2023
A team is a group of individuals called together to accomplish some goal mutually agreed upon. High functioning teams accomplish goals efficiently but also engage in connection together so that they enjoy one another’s efforts along the journey together. We say “we are better together” which embodies both goal accomplishment and team cohesion.
The New Testament is filled with examples of how the Lord embraces teamwork and calls His followers together to engage one another and to engage the surrounding community with the gospel. Think Great Commandment and Great Commission. I am challenged by the reality of the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. All three work together to accomplish a goal and done in such a way that each member of the Godhead honors the other. Jesus made it clear in His priestly prayer for His disciples that they should function like the Trinity.
John 17:21 “that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”
Under the Godhead we are to live out unity, oneness, and togetherness in such a way that it speaks of a greater good—namely the love of God on display in Jesus. Oh, that we would function like that as teams in our churches.
Ask yourself the following questions to self-assess the leadership of your staff team, your board team, and your congregation.
· Do you have a common goal that you are working toward and is everyone accepting of that goal?
· Does each member of the team have a real and significant part to play on the team?
· How is your ego challenged to be humble in your team honoring and empowering others?
· Does your leadership empower and deploy or are you more inclined toward central control?
Consider reading a few books on biblical team cohesion.
Recommended Reading
Teams That Thrive by Hartwig and Bird
Leading the Team Based Church, by George Cladis
START:
Pastor Timothy Keller passed away on May 19th. He was a well-known pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, as well as the author or many books on Christianity and faith. He has had a profound influence on many through the years. I read his article on Church Planting several years ago that I thought was very informative and spot on. Here is his article that I'd like you to read.
STRENGTHEN:
I generally hate interruptions, especially when I sit down to write. I find birthing an article difficult, but no sooner had I sat down to write my door opens and a couple walks in. As Marie was calling to me, a phone call came in. Arrrgh! Except that the phone call was from a pastor calling to thank me for something I had written in my Pinnacle prayer letter he found very encouraging. Hanging up after speaking with him, I turned to the couple whom I discovered had come by to thank me for recommending several places for their pastor to go to take a break. The man was an elder in his church and he and the other guys noticed that the pastor was running out of gas. He called, and I suggested five places he that he could go to, depending on his needs. A well needed break is in the planning books as a result.
Amazingly, when I sat back down to write, I felt so much lighter. Appreciation…celebration…words that I do not always see adequately practiced in our evangelical churches these days. I don’t know, perhaps it’s our Puritan heritage, or our American self-sufficient disposition, but I think we might be like the husband who was criticized by his wife for not saying “I love you” enough. He said, “Woman, I said I love you at the altar, and it stands till I revoke it!”
What do you do to celebrate those volunteering, your staff? We are in the throes of VBS prep right now at our church, and I can witness firsthand the hours and hours that many volunteers put in to ensure kids partaking in our VBS have a wonderful experience. A month ago, it was a community rummage sale we held to raise money for missions - again probably a hundred man-hours (or in this case, woman-hours!) invested to make the event a success. How do we thank and celebrate such selfless service to our Lord?
Be creative! One year, we had an especially fruitful VBS where 43 kids surrendered their lives to Christ! At that time, we had a tradition of putting a rose on the communion table for each decision. We could have just put up a vase of flowers, but we didn’t do that. What we did was distribute 43 flowers around the congregation (unbeknownst to the VBS leaders) and when they were on stage, we announced the results. I was able to say, “Congregation, you know our tradition…” whereupon 43 people got up from around the church, came up on the stage and laid flowers in the arms of our three leaders, “…and that’s why we invest in VBS.” Not a dry eye in the place. The Lord was praised, people were celebrated, and vision was cast.”
I don’t think I’m doing violence to the text when I quote Psalm 107:2, “Let the redeemed of the LORD say so!” I know I’m on safe ground agreeing with Paul when he said, “…speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord…” (Eph 5:19). Pastors and ministry leaders, celebrate your people. Rejoice in Kingdom advances. Let your people know they are the most valuable people in Kingdom ministry, for without them, we would have no ministry!
SEND:
West Africa Mission’s Opportunity
Converge Great Lakes has begun a partnership with a Converge International Ministry in Senegal, West Africa. If your church is interested in long range partnerships in West Africa, the Metro SenWest Initiative (MSI) may be perfect for you. Their approach is to bring partner churches together for project based opportunities to catalyze a movement to Christ among the many unreached Muslims in this country. The project opportunities are:
University Student Outreach by teaching English as a second language
Chaplaincy and healthcare at a Christian hospital
Neighborhood Outreach in a poor suburb of the capital
Media Development for greater use of social media and electronic communication
Training and coaching national believers in the principles and practices of Disciple Making Movements
Check out the Metro SenWest video if you have interest.
CHAPLAIN MINISTRY:
Barron County Officers Killed
Saturday, the day before Easter, tragedy struck in Barron County, WI. Two officers from different agencies were gunned down while attempting a traffic stop on an individual known to be dangerous and with some history with the law. One officer was on the force for only one year after a tour in Afghanistan. The other officer was on for about 5 years.
The lead chaplain of many of the agencies in that county, Cody (see pic below), is an ICPC member and asked if some of us could come and help out. DUE TO YOUR SUPPORTING ME, I was able to jump, leave Tuesday AM, and stay through Sunday. Officers, the affected families, and many in the community were reeling over what just took place. Comfort, processing, and knowledgeable ears were needed greatly.
I had the privilege of spending much of my time with some of the Barron PD officers. Much of our time was spent in the office throughout the night just talking. I was honored to be able to ride along with three of the officers while they did their first traffic stops after the event. Each was hesitant to different degrees, and rightly so. Then we debriefed some afterward. One of those nights, we had to wrestle an intoxicated individual into cuffs over suicidal intentions and stand guard over him in the hospital, hauling him back onto the bed numerous times as he tried to escape, over and over. The officer honored me many times telling everyone how the Chaplain “threw down” with him to get the person under control.
Cody asked me to be at one of the officer’s funerals on Thursday while he was at the other, as they were being held at the same time. Honor guards took shifts every 15 minutes standing guard over the deceased officers (the entire week from the hospital to the grave, through the funeral, memorial, to the burial.
Then on the following Saturday, we all helped out at the huge law enforcement memorial service that took place at the high school (and middle school, and another place across the street). It’s quite the thing. About 100 honor guard were there to man positions, stand guard, and direct people. About 1,000 officers from around the nation (and Canada) were there with their vehicles for the procession after the service. I saw many officers from the DNR, State Patrol, and Sheriffs and Chiefs that I have been getting to know over the years while attending their conferences and helping them set up chaplain programs in their agencies. Knowing looks, firm handshakes, nods of respect, and greetings, I was posted to usher people into the viewing lines to pay respects to the fallen and to their families.
After the service, the chaplains went to Cody’s church, Maranatha Evangelical Free, to help serve the officers a meal before they left for their respective hometowns. I was able to have more conversations with many officers about what happened and about chaplaincy in their agencies. Good discussions.
The church was amazing with how much they do for the officers in their community. They are even hosting a HUGE law enforcement K9 training event at their facilities, feeding the officers from all over the state and allowing the use of their buildings for drug-sniffing training, etc.
One of the officers I spent time with asked if we could keep in touch.
I left weary but with a full heart.
Please pray for their continuing healing and that they find their strength and hope in Jesus through this horrible event.