Qualities of a Good Team

My heart this week has been to focus on the team God has graciously allowed me to work with. Working with a team is so much better then working alone. Can you imagine doing it all again? I remember 10 years ago when Beverly and I came to Indianapolis, we assumed leadership of a church that was struggling with internal dysfunction in it's leadership.

The good news is that we just loved the people through it and an atmosphere of trust was created which gave us the opportunity to set the right climate. Don't get me wrong, this took time. (You don't turn a ship on a dime.) Today, with the right climate, we've been able to produce a culture that is conducive to leadership training.

Building a diverse team has been an exciting challenge. Here are some things that I've kept in mind along the journey.

1. The leader must be gifted & committed to leading the team. - Ephesians 4:11
2. The team must be united under the Lordship of Jesus. - Ephesians 5:23
3. Recruit gifted people for vital roles (especially in areas you are weak in.) - Acts 6:3
4. Give on the job training. - Matthew 28:19-20
5. Create a "servant-leadership" climate where service is more important than position. - Luke 22:26-27
6. Show respect for one another. - Hebrews 13:17
7. Recognize the need for honest and open communication. - 2 Corinthians 12:19
8. Prepare for opposition. - 1 Peter 5:8-9
9. Stay focused on your vision & goals. - Philippians 3:14
10.Be accountable and open to correction. - Revelation 3:19

Building a Great Team!

Beverly and I are blessed to have a great ministry team. That team consists of pastoral staff, elders, deacons & ministry coordinators. All of which, are the wheels of the ministry at BFWC. Without them, well...we'd be severely handicapped.

As you know, building the right team can take time. Each team member has a unique personality and diverse giftings. Learning how to flow those personalities together can be a challenge. However, when it's right...it can be a win-win situation for you and your congregation.

• The Ant - (the driver) (Apostle Paul) - "Excuse me, pardon me, coming through!" These people can appear to be rude, offensive, bossy and just plain over the top. And at times they are. But at least they get the job done. Once they are tempered by the "fruit" of Galatians 5:22-23, they may still have the ability to "cut your ear off" but they are more mindful of how they are perceived.


• The Conie - (the peacemaker) (Barnabas) - "Can't we all just get along?" These people strive for peace and can't stand arguing or strong debate. They will defend the underdog and make sure everyone is treated fairly. They are a blessing because of their ability to manufacture peace in almost any situation.


• The Locust - (the partier) (Apostle Peter) - "Whens the next church dinner?" These people exemplify the personality of a networker. They would rather talk than work. They have the ability to sell sand in the desert and they almost never know a stranger! They are great for connecting with new people.


• The Spider - (the thinker) (Apostle John) - "Let's think before we speak." These people are perfectionist in their personalities. They are often loners. When they offer their opinion, you know they've given a lot of time thinking it through. They are problem solvers and can save your neck if you listen to their council.

We definitely have all four personalities at work in our pastoral team. It's amazing to watch everyone function together - so different, yet so compatible.

We administer a personality test to each of our leaders. This helps us find their best place on the team. Nothing is worse then having personality clashes - it disrupts the flow of ministry. Sometimes it's unavoidable. However if you can understand a person's personality, then you can communicate with them better.

This by far, has been the most valued lesson I've learned in building a great team.

Our pastoral team in Chicago on our last Staff Retreat.
L-R: Jeremey & Tara Mckinney - Children's Pastors
Russell & Beverly Hylton - Senior Pastors
Josh & Jennifer Palmer - Youth Pastors
Nathan & Julie Steensma - Executive Pastors

Leaning on your Staff

Today I am extremely grateful for the kindness shown to me by our congregation.

Yesterday, Beverly, Kaitlyn and I were surprised by our church family with a special 10 year celebration. All week we have been celebrating the completion of phase one and two with nightly services & events. As we were beginning our second morning service, our staff stopped everything and began a surprise for us that was incredible.

We received letters from city officials, local agencies and friends in the ministry from around the country. We were also surprised to have members of our families in attendance. Our choir & dance teams performed special songs in our honor and a 10 year video was shown in our honor. Also, Bishop Wayman Ming preached a message that was very inspirational!

In addition, our family was overwhelmed with a generous offering & gifts from our congregation, a brand new stainless steel refrigerator, a Wii and a Caribbean cruise.

I am encouraged and thankful to our staff who led the way in this very thoughtful gesture. Apparently they have been planning this for several months and did it all right under our noses. :-)

When your team plans something like this, you are truly grateful and quite frankly embarrassed. However, their thoughtfulness is such a shot in the arm!

Today I commend our team for their affection and love towards their pastors!!!

What do you expect?

"The spirit of expectancy is breeding ground for miracles". Those are the words I heard Mike Murdock speak years ago at my church where I first youth pastored almost 20 years ago and I still remember it as though it were yesterday. I listen to what people say and their words indicate they don't believe something good is going to happen for them. I not o nly believe, I expect good things to happen to me and for me according to God's Word and His promises.

I do not expect to be tomorrow where I am today...it is that simple! I am doing what I can with what I have to the best of my ability and am leaving the rest to God. I know He loves me and has my best interest at heart and wants me blessed more than I want me to be blessed!

Today is the day the Lord has made.....let us rejoice and be glad......and expect God to do great things! Have a blessed Sunday!

Let the Word do the work

I have a guy in my church who works for PGA West golf club just a few miles from us and can get me free golf whenever I want. Problem, I either don't have the time or don't take the time to play like I want to. So today, the first time in almost a year I went golfing and it was not pretty. I am not very good anyway, normally shoot in the 90's but today was OUCH...bad.

It took me until the 16th hole to realize one of my MANY problems. I wasn't letting the club do the work. I was swinging too hard and trying to do to much instead of letting up a little, try not to kill the ball and let the club do what it was designed to do.

So on my way home I thought about us as pastors that at times we try to do too much. We think if we work a few more hours and just a little harder that the church will grow. I have found out the hard way that it is simply not always true. You see, when you try to do too much swinging a golf club you end up getting your stance messed up or moving something that needed to be still or bending what needed to be straight.

The point is this. When we try to do too much we usually end up messing things up one way or another. Things get out of whack instead of letting His Word do wat it was intended to do. His word does not fail. That does not mean we should all play golf all week long, preach Sunday and let the Word do the rest. We have some responsibilities and things we should be doing to partner with God. However, nothing we can do, no matter how hard we try can make God's Word more powerful than it already is. So next time, do what you can within reason and then......

LET THE WORD DO THE WORK!

Are You Done Yet?

Last night I received a very disturbing call that wrecked me for a time. It was my Bishop on the other end informing me that on of our ministers (35) had been pronounced brain dead following a fatal car accident while away with his wife over the weekend.

I am not ging to lie, we were on different planets when it came to our views of ministry and though we were not enemies we were not buddies either if you know what I mean.

After hanging up with Bishop Lake I said a prayer for his wife and kids and started to get emotional whn my wife walked in and asked me what was wrong. I told her what had happened and we both sat there stunned for a few moments. My mind raced with thoughts about his family, his ministry & did he make provisions etc. You see moments like that cause all differences to go away if not but for a short period of time and we remember we are all brothers on the same team. It also makes you realize how much there is to do and if we do not get busy we may miss it!

Jesus said "work while it is yet day for the night comes when no man can work". I am 2 years older than Jason and I have s much to do for my family and for the Kingdom. The question is if there is much to be done..are we doing it and if not, why not?

Let me close with this. None of us have been promised tomorrow or how much more time we have to do what needs to be done so.........ARE YOU DONE YET? If not, what are you waitin for?

Busy or Productive

Recently in the last year or so we have trimmed away some things that consumed time and money but really wasn't effective when it came to our true purpose. I realized that at times we were doing things just because it seemed everyone else did them. Before I knew it our calendar was always full which at the time seemed really "spiritual". I soon came to realize that busy was foolish if it was not bringing forth the purpose for which we were called. We could be a church known for having alot going on, none if it really great but we had something for everyone. Or, we could be a church known for being very good at certain things, the right things! We are not a buffet church......there are enough of those all around. Instead my goal is to get Legacy to a place that we know exactly who we are and what God wants us to do and if IT does not accomplish exactly that then we will cut it off and let it die!

I realize that some things are not neccessarily bad things but they don't have to be wrong to not be the right things either. Our people have alot going on between work, family and personal responsibilities. If we are going to ask them to participate in something let's make sure it is the right things and if they are worth doing let's do them well!

Any thoughts?