1.21.2006

Teambuilding Question

Heh heh.... Now comes the hard part. Being consistent in my posting habits. I've never been one for journaling (although I think it's a great discipline for those who do it), so we'll just have to see how this turns out.

One thing that I think will help keep me motivated is knowing (or hoping) that someone else is reading this. I'm much more productive when I know I'm responsible to someone else.

So here's my thought for today.

One of my greatest desires is to continually grow as a leader. And in order to be a good leader you have to build teams. In my discussion with my pastor-buddies on Thursday we talked a little bit about how to help teams get involved in each others' lives.

At the church I'm at now, we build into our meetings a time for sharing "joys and concerns." On the one hand, I find value in this. But on the other hand, it's kind of a drag sometimes. And sometimes people say stuff just because they're expected to say something.

Bill, the only non-20/30-something in our group and who carries the wisdom and experience of one who's been in ministry for a great many years (feeling old, Bill?! heh heh...), said that in the staff meetings at his church (he's the senior pastor) they never bother with personal sharing. But personal sharing happens naturally between individuals.

I want to know what makes that happen.

Do we provide other times for relationship-building?

Do we somehow set an atmosphere of friendliness that leads to relationship-building?

Do we tell our staff/volunteers straightforwardly that we want them to develop relationships with each other?

Do we just pray that they will grow in their relationships with each other?

I wholeheartedly believe that strong interpersonal relationships are key to having strong ministry teams, but how do we make (or encourage) that to happen?

1 comment:

DGH said...

My Sr. Pastor read somewhere that the definition of a Matrix, s an environment that something is created (I think that is right) and so he is going with the vote that it is a leader's role to create environments that are conducive to true community, where sharing is just a normal part of thier lives...but that Matrix/environment is group specific and that must be taken into account when designing the environment... I say that a normal intentional created carved out time for community is the key. Create times and space in the lives of people that they can grow deeper in thier relationships with each other as well as the relationship with God as a group, not just individually. And it is when this community is experiencing community and relationship with God as a community...then I see true Christian community and true "being" church develops and a movement of Christ forms. Just my thoughts....but how good are we at intentionally creating enviroments for true communit to form...and then to top it all off....how good are we at intentionally empowering the group to multiply and do this same "Christ communiyt living" in thier own lives and with those they work with as well?


BTW: You really will need to turn on comment verification soon, because you will start to get some comment SPAM after a while....just look for it in your preferences tabs and turn it on. Thanks for posting more than once, heh.