10 Things Every Pastor Must Know About Team Ministry

1. Other people on your team have the idea that you've been waiting for. 
2. You don't have it all figured out -- get over yourself. 
3. Team members rise to the expectation of the leader that is willing to empower them. 
4. Spend time laughing while you are leading -- part of the mission is enjoying the mission. 
5. Invest personal time with each team member -- don't just see the group, see individuals. 
6. Celebrate other's success regularly and publicly. 
7. Restate the vision constantly - teams thrive with a constant big goal in front of them. 
8. Apologize in front of the entire team when you get it wrong. 
9. Share the praise/credit with the team publicly. 
10. Take the blame publicly - never pass the buck!

Becoming the Best Me

Recently while reading Samuel Chand's book Cracking Your Church's Culture Code I came across a powerful quote that made me stop in my tracks:

"What is it about me that keeps me from becoming the best me that God intended me to be?"

That question needs to be regularly wrestled with by every leader. The truth is we all want to be successful in our fields. No one ever dreams of becoming the Vice President. We want the secret service ushering us onto Air Force One referring to us as "Mr President!"

If we are ever going to fulfill our potential we must come to terms with our own limitations and setbacks.

Each of us has limitations and setbacks. Every leader has a niche and a land mine. So the more time we spend analyzing and confronting them the better we are in the long run. Here are a few suggestions that have proven to be helpful to me along the way:

1) Don't try to eliminate every weakness

Our strengths, not our weaknesses, are the keys that unlock the doors of effective leadership. I'll bet most of you are paid for your strength. It's what makes you valuable to your organization. So to spend more time and energy focussing on your weakness than your strength actually robs your leadership of its greatness. Accept limitations. Eliminate what you can. Delegate what you can't. Refuse to buy into the myth that a good leader is a "balanced" leader. All great leaders have been unbalanced toward the area of their strengths and have learned to surround themselves with people who are strong in their areas of limitations. You'll be wise to do the same. 

2) Pay extra special attention to character weaknesses

While you will not be rendered useless because you aren't good at administration your leadership will definitely become paralyzed because of major character flaws. Character is the currency of great leadership. If you have character flaws work on them! Take the time to work through issues that hinder your integrity. A healthy organization is strong at the top due to the high integrity of its leaders. Find your flaws. Focus on fixing them. Let people into your lives that can help you on the journey. Integrity is a team sport!

3) Invite people into your life

When I was in college I learned the importance of community. There is something powerful about having a handful of people that are given permission to speak with authority into our lives. We all need a few people who have gone ahead of us that can coach us along with their wisdom and experience. I call these leaders "Pauls" after the great New Testament mentor and apostle. Likewise, we can benefit profoundly from having a few friends who are lateral mentors. These people are fellow journeymen running beside us at the same pace that we can draw mutual encouragement and share resources with. I call these leaders "Barnabases" after the great encourager from the New Testament. We also need a few people who we are pouring our lives into. These leaders are typically younger and less experienced and our task is to share with them and help challenge them to shoot for the stars. I call these leaders "Timothys" after the loyal follower of Paul in the New Testament. These types of 360 degree mentoring relationships are crucial to helping us become all that God intends us to be. 

4) Commit to the process

I'm not going to lie to you, the process of becoming all that God designed you to become is a long process filled with high points and low places. Most leaders thrive on accomplishing tasks. The journey of leadership is not a series of tasks it is a lifelong process. Don't get discouraged because you aren't making the progress you would like to see. Stay faithful to the process. Pastor Craig Groeschel once said, "Most leaders overestimate what God wants to do in their lives in the short run and underestimate what God wants to do in the long run." God is committed to your entire life...we must be too. Keep your hand to the plow. You'll be thankful you did. 

5) Celebrate small victories

I can't stress this point enough. Learn to celebrate each and every victory no matter how small it may seem. When we can become grateful in the small victories we set ourselves up for success in great battles. In the Old Testament account of David and Goliath we find a young shepherd boy named David who defeats a mighty military hero with a simple sling and a "smooth stone." Develop the habit of enjoying the "smooth stones" in your life and leadership. Don't try to overpower everything with your own charisma or experience. Rejoice in the smallness of your "smooth stone" moment. Set crazy goals that challenge your team, but along the way take the time to memorialize the small victories. Do this personally and corporately and you will energize yourself and the team that you serve. Life is too short to waste another minute complaining about the size of your "Goliath" be intentional about celebrating small victories on the journey to success!

These are just a few suggestions to help as we all reflect on our calling as leaders. What are your thoughts?