I shared with you in part 3 of this series that there was a time in my ministry when I took the position of children’s pastor at a small church. I went in blazing guns and very confident in my abilities. In two to three years, attendance doubled in children’s ministry and we had the best looking (thanks to my husband’s artistic abilities), most organized, smoothest running children’s ministry in our area. I was very proud of what I had accomplished.  People would tell me what a wonderful job I was doing and how great the children’s ministry was. It really made me feel good that I had impressed them and proven how good I was at what I did, that should have been my first clue! Another reason I liked doing everything myself was that it got done, it was done right, and it was done my way. The only problem I faced was that I was doing it all myself, and burning out fast. I learned the hard way that in order to grow your children’s ministry you will need to develop a team of people, and the larger your children’s ministry becomes the more people it will take to help make it successful.  That all sounds so great on paper BUT... working with people is messy. Just think about it, God gave us example after example of what we could look forward to if what more than one person is involved.

Sharpening:
Peter 27:17 - As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. 

What happens when you take one piece of iron and rub it against another? You get friction. How many of us enjoy friction? But in order to keep the blade sharp you have to create friction.  When we are willing to allow others to come along side us and work together with us we create an environment where people are given the opportunity to grow and sharpen their gifts and skills as they minister together. There will be misunderstandings, miscommunication, frustration, and some will even get offended. But if each member of the team understands that the goal is to “crucify the flesh”, sharpen each other, and compliment each other, then all things can be worked out through prayer, wisdom, and constructive communication. 

Others First:
Philippians 2:3  - Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.

When you include others you have to put the needs of others first and this might include sacrifice on your part. It means you can’t be selfish or self-focused anymore. What may have worked for you individually may not work for the group as a whole. And it may take longer to accomplish. For example: Lets say I need to come up with an outreach activity for the summer, but I also want to take this opportunity to involve others and make it a time of bonding and make them feel a part of it all. I have to understand and accept that the more people I include in the process the more ideas, suggestions, and opinions I will get. I may have an idea of what I’d like to do but I have to be open to the possibility that what I have in mind may not be the idea that the team chooses in the end. And I also have to keep in mind that it may take me an hour to come up with an idea or outreach, but when I make it a group effort it may take 2 to 3 hours of communication. But at the end of it all its much more fun to have a team working on the event and sharing the responsibility, than being able to sing “I did it my way”. 

Growing in Love:
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 - Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;  does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;  does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;  bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

If you are going to create a team mentality you have to learn to walk in love and set the example. With some people that’s easy to do… but with others it can become the “thorn in your flesh”. On that note let me give you some advice. If, as you read this, someone comes to mind that you find a real challenge to work with and you find yourself trying to avoid them, I suggest you embrace the opportunity to grow and learn how to “esteem and love” them. Because no matter where you go or how much you try to avoid dealing with those who “rub you the wrong way” there will always be another, and another, and another, until you learn how to love them and work with them.

Learning to Relate:
1Co 9:22 - to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men that I might by all means save some.

If you really want to influence others then you will learn how to work with all types of people, understand different personalities, and be able to deal with all maturity levels with longsuffering and gentleness. You will learn the art of “becoming all things to all men.”  In order to do this you will need to take the time to do some research on human behavior and personality types. Once you have a basic understanding of people then you will be able to seek God’s wisdom in how to minister to each member of your team and be able to relate to them in a way that will earn their appreciation, respect and loyalty.

Mentoring potential leaders:
As your team grows you will need to work on what I call “Hands off” delegating. This means that you will need to have raised up other leaders that will be able to assume responsibilities that you no longer need to be overseeing, so that you will be able to focus on the areas you need to be focusing on.  If you don’t already have at least one person in mind that you can begin mentoring you may want to begin asking God who He might have in mind. If there is no one at your church that fits this description ask Him to send someone. The reason I call it “Hands Off” delegating is because it is very important that once you have given full instructions on what you require from the leader and you delegate it to them then you need to take the “hands off” approach and let them do what you’ve entrusted them to do. Be available to assist them as needed but do not micro-manage their every move. You have to see your volunteers and leaders as a team, and then help them to do the same. You have to believe in them and let them know you do. As a leader, one of the hardest things for me to do is to “let go” of areas and allow others the freedom to make things happen. It is inevitable that someone who is learning how to do something will make mistakes that I have to help clean up and they almost never do it like I would have. When they are done it never looks like or turns out like I would have pictured it to be. I’ve had to accept that I cannot do everything myself and its ok if it isn’t always done my way. This is a very important lesson to learn if you are going to be successful in creating a team.  A leader has to learn how to work with all types of personalities and temperaments and “be the adult” in all situations. A leader can never take things personally and has to work on walking in the fruits of the spirit towards all those on the team. There cannot be any partiality or favoritism, and you should never establish very close friendships with any of your volunteers. They need to see you as their leader not their “best bud.”

John Maxwell wrote one of the best books I have ever read on the issue of teamwork, titled The 17 indisputable laws of teamwork. If you’d like to take an assessment test of your knowledge of teamwork he has a free online test you can take. You can reach it from the following link. http://www.injoy.com/17LOT/ . It’s a real “eye opener”.

Establishing Momentum:
Lastly, it will be very important to create momentum among your team and even more important, keep the momentum moving forward. Why do people follow Jesus “unto death”? He knew His purpose and was passionate about it. He shared His vision, asked people to follow Him, and then acted on it. He created momentum through His passion and then kept it going by setting the example, keeping His word, encouraging them, training them, and supporting them. Most importantly, what he called others to follow Him in was the most worthwhile cause of all, and ours is the same.  People like to belong to and feel a part of something valuable. They want to know that what they do matters and that they are making a difference. Do you know what your purpose is? Do you share the vision? Are you passionate about it? Are you acting on it? People will sign up to help you if you are.  There is so much more that could be covered on the topics of teamwork and momentum and I encourage you to learn all you can on these to topics. Never stop learning and developing as a person and as a leader. You are never too old or too wise to learn something new. 

Working with people requires more energy and time than if you do it all yourself and sometimes as leaders we think that it is easier to avoid the messiness that comes with involving people in our plans. But we have to understand that God is able to do more when we include others, He designed it that way. He never meant for it to be a “one man show”. So the next time you catch yourself thinking… “I’ll just do it myself” remember the following verse:

Le 26:8 - Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight; your enemies shall fall by the sword before you. THERE IS STRENGTH  IN NUMBERS…..