As we wrote yesterday, you have to work hard to build a great team. Here are a few more ideas for you to consider applying within your ministry:
KEEP YOUR MEETING AGENDAS MINIMAL
It is important to have an agenda for your leadership meetings. Your leaders lead busy lives, and many of them won’t to add another “thing” unless it adds value to their life and ministry. A thought-out agenda can communicate the significance you have for your time together. People want to know that you’re not “winging-it” and that you care deeply about their sacrifice of time.
Ministry training is very important, but we would encourage the primary leader to limit his/her lecture time and increase the amount of group interaction. The best training will happen “on the job,” and having more time to talk about it (with others who are facing the same situations) will make the lecture/lessons more memorable.
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CELEBRATE TOGETHER
When you meet, make it a habit to focus on the good things that God is doing in your ministry. Stop and celebrate successes. When a leader has served for a year, celebrate their “longevity”! When a teenager is baptized, have his/her small group leader share the story and celebrate that spiritual decision! When you go a month without the executive pastor complaining about the youth ministry, celebrate loudly—actually, throw a party (just don’t spill anything so he’ll have nothing to complain about)!
The goal is to make sure that every time you gather you take the time to find something worth celebrating. It will be tempting for the negative people to begin the meeting talking about “what isn’t going well” but don’t allow that to happen. Complaints can dominate your time, instead go after those complaints one-on-one after the meeting (pretending they don’t exist will only hurt you’re your leadership and ministry). Eventually, an attitude of celebration will trickle down to all your leaders and result in mutual encouragement and will reinforce the values for your youth ministry.
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SHARE STORIES
Some of greatest connecting moments in our leadership meetings have followed on the heels of a very simple question: “What’s been going good? Where have you sensed God moving in your ministry?” If you have a leadership team of more than 3 people, it’s possible to quickly feel disconnected from others. It’s easy to get caught up in life and work and ministry and not stop long enough to have God-sightings. A fast-pace is the enemy of building community. Sharing stories connects a team by drawing others into a shared experience.