Doing Ministry as a Team
April 6, 2011
by Dr. Don R. Simmons
Doing ministry as a team is often easier said than done, primarily because we develop teams of individuals who often value individual accomplishment more than teamwork. In Teams that Click (Harvard Business Review publication), we are reminded that being a member of a team is not natural for most people, yet, some people exhibit behaviors in groups that can cause the team to be successful, and then others seem to be bent on team destruction, or oblivious to the fact that their behaviors have a negative impact on the entire team.
Some of the most common team behaviors that usually spell trouble, but we all have experienced them, are:
- Dominating:takes much of the team time expressing self views and opinions. They try to take control by use of power and team time.
- Rushing:This person encourages the group to move on before the task is complete. They get tired of listening to others and working as a group. This person has little regard for team building activities.
- Withdrawing:This person removes self from discussions or decision-making and refuses to participate. At times, this is also a play for control, and a shield for responsibility. This behavior is characterized by the statement, “don’t blame me, I didn’t make that decision…”
- Discounting:Disregards or minimizes group or individual ideas or suggestions. Severe discounting behavior can include insults, which are often in the form of jokes and sarcasm.
- Digressing:Rambles, tells stories and takes the team away from the primary purpose. They can often lose credibility with the team because of the time that they expend in chasing proverbial rabbits.
- Blocking:Impedes the team’s progress by obstructing all ideas and suggestions. This person always has a reason that “it will never work that way.”
- Spiritualizing:This person blocks movement of the team by questioning the spirituality and theological correctness of each team action and activity. They rarely offer appropriate alternatives, but see themselves as assisting God in monitoring team behavior.
The previous list of behaviors can actually be overcome and diverted by the following constructive team behaviors.
- Cooperating: This person is interested in the views and opinions of other group members and is willing to adapt for the good of the team.
- Clarifying:This person makes issues clear for the group by listening, summarizing and maintaining the focus of the discussions.
- Inspiring:This person enlivens the group and encourages full participation and progress. They can be a cheerleader and team player.
- Harmonizing:This person is valuable because they encourage group cohesion and collaboration. Often, they use humor as a relief after a particularly difficult discussion.
- Risk Taking:This team member is willing to risk possible personal loss or embarrassment for the group or for project success.
- Process Checking:Questions the team on process issues such as agenda, time frames, discussion topics, decision methods and use of timely information.
- Prayer Warrior:This person supports the team activities and individual team members by praying for them consistently, specifically and honestly. They gather prayer requests, and possess gifts of service and intercession.
One way to address the destructive behaviors and to affirm the constructive actions is to introduce this list to the team as a part of team training, and to include the list in ministry team descriptions. Often, when a person is aware of the response to their actions, they can work to change or enhance that behavior. As the team leader, frequently affirm and identify team behaviors that are helpful to the team, and that progress the team toward success. As a training activity, encourage team members to wear a placard describing these behaviors, and role play the use of the behavior in a meeting or activity. As much as possible, have fun with communicating the behaviors, understanding that these behaviors are hard-wired into each person, and are more likely to be evident when a person is tired, hungry, distracted by other activities (in the case of the destructive behaviors.) The constructive behaviors may be more natural for some individuals than with others. A person’s birth order, family size, education level and spiritual maturity all impact every person’s team behaviors. Helping people to be aware of their “team style” is useful for every person in the settings where they live, work, worship and play.
Another method of addressing these team behaviors is through the development of a team covenant. The covenant is not the ministry description for the team, but describes how the team will work together to achieve the common goals. Communication, team behavior, scheduling, tracking and evaluating should all be addressed in the covenant and the team should develop the covenant together close to the time that the team is formed. A team leader is not responsible for developing a covenant and providing it for the team, rather, the team leader should provide team time, a format and a limited number of suggestions for inclusion in the covenant. Without a covenant, the team has no real recourse to correct destructive behaviors, and relies more on self-monitoring. One of the great benefits of being a member of a ministry team is that we have the opportunity to “practice” the use of our gifts, and to frequently activate the fruits of the Spirit such as humility, patience, joy and love.
Recognizing these team behaviors is also useful when developing a new ministry team. A team leader may want to build a team based on a variety of identifiable team behavior traits. A budget team, for example, may have a strong need for a person who is known to be strong in clarifying. Some more mundane task teams may need a strong inspiring team member, while other ministries may need to stay on track with process checking and cooperating. Understanding a potential team members group behavior style can be a vital part of the discovery process and interviews, and can eliminate many problems for the team down the road. It is unlikely that a person will radically change team behaviors from team to team, but all of us are likely to perform similarly with each team.
So, can you identify YOUR team behavior?
Don R. Simmons
Fresno, CA
