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Team Leadership
I don’t like committees. Big groups of people rarely make the best decisions and often slow things down.
When I talk about leading as a team, I am NOT talking about ministry by committees.
On any good team, there is a head coach. Someone must be in charge. But if the coach is wise, he’ll build a team of coaches.
In any ministry, I suggest the following:
- One leader who is ultimately responsible for the direction of the ministry.
- Three to seven people who become some sort of a leadership team. (Two is not enough. Three drastically improves the dynamics. More than seven becomes bulky. For some reason, I like odd numbers.) This could be an advisory team, executive team, leadership team, directional team, or whatever suits your purposes.
- When possible, the people on the team should be a diversified group.
- Each person has an equal voice—but the leader reserves the right to make the final call. (On our team, it has been years since I have overridden the wisdom of the team. I still reserve the right at any time to make the hard call.)
More to come.
Thoughts?
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I once heard someone say, “For God so loved the world He didn’t send a committee.” Man, “ain’t” that the truth! Who knows? If it had been up to a committee He may still be waiting for approval.
Thanks for this post Craig. We are trying hard in this fellowship to avoid committees running things. We try to see a need and find someone who has a passion for that need. Or if someone has a passion for something and brings it to our attention he/she will be the first person we consider to take action on it. If a team is needed to get things done we still try to find those who “fit” that need. I cringe when anyone even uses the word “c-c-c-c-committee.” See…I even have trouble writing it. 
Bill’s comment cracks me up but it is sooo true! I agree…If we leave life to committees… it will never happen…they will die trying to figure it all out. Committees are endless circles!!!
I truly believe that God calls certain people to lead an others to follow. But both positions are equally important! If every person had a pulpit… how would that effect the ultimate purpose? I personally think that there are too many forced “chiefs and pulpits” already. If you are called to Lead…God will let you lead and HE will bring the perfect team around you! Pray for it!
Craig…maybe you are a secret decorator!! Decorators always stack pictures…mantle decor…nick nacks…candles in odd numbers! Odd is the new In! LOL!!!
Yessssss, the problem with committees is that everyone thinks they are the one with the “final say.” You’re right in how important it is to have a team with a true leader over them. Legend has it that a committee was sent out to build a horse, and that’s how the camel came to be.
We recently put together an Executive Team of the pastor and four leaders. It was the best thing for our pastor. You could immediately see a burden lifted off of him. Also, our “Leadership” team had become too large and cumbersome for any real decisions to be made.
Thanks for the post. It helps reinforce our actions.
It’s great to have a team that as you say is a “diversified group” this helps to have a wide range of thoughts and opinions… while maintaining a unified vision.
Equally as important is to not have a team of “Yes Men or Yes Women” as that will just cripple the leader.
Anyone know what a group of Vultures is called? You got it - it is a committee.
We have what we call the creative team, which is really the leadership team of three that really serves as also the executive team. The lead pastor has the final say. We have found that this system works well for us. Although we have them, we are trying to move away from vultures ….I mean committees.
Scott, Very true on not only having “yes” people!
Michael, So glad to hear a great team blessed your pastor… and surely overflowed to the whole church!
Jenn, That is the first time anyone has accused me of being anything close to a decorator.
Leader as Coach
Coaching is a leadership competency and is all about performance, feedback and learning. Leadership development is self-development.
People are different–they come from different places emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. A coach’s challenge is to meet the client where they “come from,” so they can take the action they truly desire.
Simply stated, leadership is an interactive conversation that pulls people toward becoming comfortable with the language of personal responsibility and commitment.
Effective coaching can happen on the dance floor of conversation. It’s OK to begin a conversation by confronting the other person with questions that seem awkward but set the stage for a respectful exchange. Why waste time on small talk? Just ask to-the-point information-seeking questions, like: “What are you here for? How do you want to spend our time together?”
Great insight. The beginning for the end for me was in the “1st” month I implemented the changes I said I was going to do when I came. The church decided to “vote” on those changes. That was the end of the honeymoon. Even though they voted a majority to allow those changes to go through, the damage was done.
I don’t see democracy in the Bible.
[...] Team Leadership [...]
Like Kevin I don’t democracy in the Bible, but in a church that has been board run forever it is hard to put the “final say” back in the hands of the pastor.
I have preached on biblical leadership and tried to implement changes to follow a more biblical model, but you can only drag people so far before you get worn out.
I have been overruled so many times it isn’t funny anymore. .
Any advice for dealing with established church boards? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?
So true Kevin. In the Bible God raised a person up to accomplish His task and goals. If we zoom out the world does not work in committees. I do not see a football team run out onto the field without a leader. Every store has a leader may it be a manager or owner. In design groups there is a chief designer who is responsible. I believe that the church has missed many opportunities because of a bad leadership model.
We have had similar issues clif and what we have done is taking the boards and doing teaching with them on biblical leadership. We then have those who begin to see how biblical leadership works and encourage them to take a leadership role on the board. They then in turn have started practicing it. This has not sovled all the problems but has been a good push in the right direction.
I am all for empowering leaders to make decisions. Committees are sure way to waste peoples valuable time. Empowering leaders allows them to be doing rather than just sitting around a table talking about doing ministry.
As for a leaders team - right on. The Lead Pastor needs a group of people to support him, balance him, give him a different perspective, protect him. Vital to a healthy church.
Jim, Thanks for sharing your perspective to help Clif with his questions. Some of you may have led through challenging committees. If any of you can help Clif with some ideas, I know he (and others) would be grateful.
I wish more senior pastors would recognize the value of a team where everyone is equal and only he has the final override decision. Teams don’t work if if there is a hierarchy to the decision making process.
Fantastic wisdom in this post. There is Strength in Numbers. Ministry was not intended to do alone. Bear each others burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ…(Gal 6:2)
We have a book coming out in December that focuses on the benefits found in TEAM ministry. Ministering in teams is SO BIBLICAL!
I was in town and worshipped in Tulsa a month or so ago and absolutely loved your message on the Good Samaritan. Your honesty and humility is so attractive to OUR GOD, and others looking for Him…
-Jason (thinking out of the box….. BIBLICALLY)
Great stuff…this is knowledge that every leader needs to know. It’s already been tried and tested which is awesome!
This is such great wisdom…thank-you! Can’t wait for the rest!
God’s love and peace (and heartaches) and wisdom to you all! Amen!
Cliff
Is it possible for you to empower a leader in your church to run with the ball. He is simple a hypothetical example. Maybe you have a greeting ministry that needs to be revamped (First Impressions from Granger Church is great book to help any church revamp their greeting ministry). You revamp it and you give a leader the authority to make decisions and lead as they feel lead to. This is assuming they understand your vision and are capable. After a few months, review the ministry with your board. Showing them that when a leader can lead with the vision of the church, things happen. Things can actually happen without a committee or God forbid without the control of the board.
Maybe I’m too simplistic, but I think it could work. Giving people a successful picture is worth a million words.
Being challenged to a new level with this string of posts. I’ve been through both sides of the “value of a team” experience. Glad to say that what I learned from one experience is helping me as an encourager of pulling people towards a common goal. I believe our leadership team practices this positively for the most part. Can’t wait for the next installment.
One more thing that must be created in order for organizations to transform from being led by one to being team-oriented in their leadership is for a forum and process to be created and implemented that allows for open communication among staff.
When real leaders do not have a place to voice their concerns, perspectives, insights and solutions where they are valued and validated, they will soon fester with frustration and lose motivation.
Distributing and delegating responsibility to team members is one thing, but creating a culture where they can safely challenge the process is quite another. Sharing leadership load with a team is not necessarily team leadership! They need the empowerment and validation, both privately and publicly, to be fully equipped to make decisions, lead others with vested authority, and the freedom to do it differently than the leader, even to fail.
To get over this hurdle, a “leaper” is needed. One who is fervently covered in prayer and approaches the primary leader with love and grace, but doesn’t leave until there is a safe environment for challenging the process and offering fresh solutions.
If one is unwilling to leap than they must surrender their willingness to complain as well.
Team leadership begins when trust and authority are released, along with the responsibility. Mantels must be passed. Leaders must be developed and released. Control must be surrendered to select team members. This is how an organization moves from a dictatorship to a democracy, and that is what the Church was created to be, with Christ as the Team Owner and GM.
Has anyone out there successfully made this leap? Tell us about it!
Great insight Craig, I agree that there must be a strong leader in each group that can raise up other leaders.
Yeah baby…. lean and mean team structure. It’s a shame most churches cannot see the importance of this point and that there aren’t enough leaders with the integrity to lead. Churches are playing defense… it’s a real shame. However it is adding fuel to the fire of a huge movement of church planting by those willing to “do anything short of sin” to bring God glory.
Don’t overlook the fact that a team can be built with volunteers and bi-vocational idiot rhinos…
I totally agree and have seen it work within my ministry. We run on a team basis here at SWITCH at Northwest. It is the reason for our huge success!
[...] Craig Groeschel on Team leadership [...]
Good post.
Could you clarify the difference between a “committee” and a “team”? Is it just perception or is there a substantive difference?
Andy, You asked a good question. I looked up committee on wiki.
Here is what it said: “A committee… is a type of small deliberative assembly that is usually intended to remain subordinate to another, larger deliberative assembly—which when organized so that action on committee requires a vote by all its entitled members…”
I think a committee can function as a team, but it usually functions more like the definition. It requires a vote by entitled members. A good ministry “team” works together to achieve spiritual goals.
The “spirit” of a committee often takes a different tone than the spirit of a team.
Coming in late on this one, but I have been learning lately that everything a team does have to have certain components. Things like: who does what, when, where, and how as determined by whom? Each task has to have an “owner” who is responsible and if possible all team members should have “buy in” before the leader takes definative action.
I’d like to challenge the thought that there has to be a “buck stops here” guy, or at least a “I make the final call” guy. Anyone read Creating Leaderful Organizations? I highly recommend it. We are working towards a model where all members on the leadership team will have equal say. I believe that we will still arrive at good ideas. It might take us a bit longer, but we will get there. But I really believe that many poor ideas (mostly by me) will be avoided. This model also protects the hearts of leaders and the integrity of churches. It’s dangerous that one person’s collapse often means that the whole ship goes down. We’ve seen this happen too many times with churches.
Craig, I think you all are where we are currently. You voluntarily submit to the the team. I’m trying to take the next step that my submission to the team is part of our structure (and beyond my volunteering it), while at the same time having the right people on board so we can still move.