Teamwork:
Usually the senior pastor is the primary leader who thinks
through and develops the mission and vision of the church.[1]
However, when Moses led his people alone, Jethro warned him about ‘burnout’ and
advised Moses to “select capable men… who fear God, trustworthy men who hate
dishonest gain” and lead in a team (Exodus 18:18-21). These days, leadership
practices are becoming more ecclesial, that is, team-orientated in expression,
based on giftedness and call.[2] Character and attitude are more important than
skills because “teaching skills is a snap compared with trying to do character
or attitude transplants”.[3]
One of the greatest dysfunctions of a team is the absence of trust.[4]
Churches, like people, thrive and blossom in environments of trust, and become
ugly and schismatic when overwhelmed by distrust.[5]
The words “trust”, “honesty”, “truth” and “integrity” are
thrown around with apparent ease, but the living out is shallow or nonexistent.[6] In fact, character flaws are not always easy to
spot, as the individual probably had years of experience in keeping them
hidden, or the evil one is blinding you to them until they wreak havoc on a
ministry.[7]
Cultivating a vulnerability-based trust is when you trust others team members
to the extent that you are willing to risk vulnerability. This means
acknowledging personal mistakes, weaknesses, failures, needs and deficiencies
to each other (Romans 7:14).[8]
Honesty also involves taking risks to be honest about one’s resentments and
anger that could otherwise infect the team with something poisonous.[9]
The truth-teller may not be correct in his/her perception, but the beginning of
correcting that perception is expressing it to others.[10]
The goal is not to be perfect, but authentic.[11]
Team spirituality is also
important. For Baptists, spiritual direction is a communal activity, performed
by the whole church for each member of the church. Baptists ‘watch over’ one
another and ‘walk together in the ways of the Lord’.[12]
Members of community share insight and encouragement, pray for one another,
step to challenge one another, etc. For Baptists, sanctity happens together or
not at all.[13]
The team is to learn together, as “a group of colleagues who come together in a
spirit of mutual respect, authenticity, learning and shared responsibility to
continually explore and articulate an expanding awareness and base of
knowledge. The process… includes inquiring about each other’s assumptions and
biases, experimenting, risking, and openly assessing the results.”[14]
There should also be diversity in the team as leaders need others who
complement them, not clone them.[15]
Governance:
It is important for a Baptist congregation to understand Baptist
polity because church members are expected to attend church meetings. Most
commentators suggest NT models of church polity are more descriptive than
prescriptive. The NT does not lay down any blueprint for church government.[16] Most
Baptist churches have a congregationalist polity, which is a “non-hierarchical
form of governance founded on the principle that Christ is the only head of the
church,”[17]
and “requires the equal participation of the members and the guidance and
involvement of the Holy Spirit in the process… to collectively discern the mind
of Christ.”[18] The
church is formed and led by mutual agreement of all its members.[19]
However, if there is a proposed new ministry initiative, the larger the
congregation the lesser the likelihood of total consensus.[20]
Some argue that church boards and committees should not take
action unless they are unanimous in their decision. However, a unanimous
decision is a rare occurrence in the real world. This is one of the reasons for
working in teams: to get other viewpoints. There is the option of compromise
and consensus. When people have to compromise, no one is happy. Consensus is
where the team members take the attitude that they will attempt to support the
decision of the team, even if they disagree with it, because their view has
received a fair hearing.[21]
Furthermore, if you conduct meetings but fail to communicate in general what
happens in those meetings, you will not be able to lead the congregation,
because they will not trust you. The pastor is responsible for communicating
with the congregation, or at least find someone else on the team who does.[22]
The Council at Jerusalem (Acts15:1-31) is a biblical example
of a meeting over a divisive issue that could have split the church in two and
ultimately destroyed it.[23] The
church founders appeared to have involved others in the process of church
governance. Leaders met together deliberatively. There was a level playing
field for debate and expression of opinion and the leaders reasoned
theologically with the issue at hand. Leaders steeped in one way of doing
things were open to change if God was doing something new. The leadership group
appeared to have been led, as James seemed to be the leader who summarised the
trend of debate with reference to the Scriptures (Acts15:16-19). Then, there
was clear communication from the leadership to the people (Acts15:22-31).[24]
The process of decision making was not mere democracy, but involved a
discernment of the Holy Spirit’s wisdom. A written record of their decision was
made.[25]
[1] Malphurs,
Advanced Strategic Planning, 61.
[2] McNeal,
Revolution in Leadership, 30.
[3]
Pue, Mentoring Leaders, 154.
[4]
Patrick Lencioni, The Five Dysfunctions
of a Team: A Leadership Fable (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2002), 188.
[5] Cladis,
Leading the Team-Based Church, 107.
[6] Cladis,
Leading the Team-Based Church, 115.
[7]
Pue, Mentoring Leaders, 153.
[8] Malphurs,
Advanced Strategic Planning, 227.
[9] Cladis,
Leading the Team-Based Church, 118.
[10] Cladis,
Leading the Team-Based Church, 119.
[11] Cladis,
Leading the Team-Based Church, 122.
[12] Holmes,
Baptist Theology, 155.
[13] Holmes,
Baptist Theology, 157.
[14] McNeal,
Revolution in Leadership, 50.
[15]
Pue, Mentoring Leaders, 154.
[16] Winslade,
A New Kind of Baptist Church, 14.
[17] Winslade,
A New Kind of Baptist Church, 60.
[18] Winslade,
A New Kind of Baptist Church, 68.
[19]
Holmes, Baptist Theology, 96.
[20] Winslade,
A New Kind of Baptist Church, 193.
[21] Malphurs,
Advanced Strategic Planning, 44.
[22] Malphurs,
Advanced Strategic Planning, 63.
[23] Winslade,
A New Kind of Baptist Church, 116.
[24] Winslade,
A New Kind of Baptist Church, 119.
[25] Winslade,
A New Kind of Baptist Church, 120.
