Yesterday I got into a fun conversation with a friend about teams. Basically, when you move to TWO people on your church staff, you have a team. Then, as you add staff, the complexity of the team begins to increase exponentially. You find yourself with two things:
- A team – little “t” team. This would be a department within the staff, such as worship or children. They are directing an area of ministry but are still a part of the whole.
- A Team – big “T” team. This represents the entire staff – including all of the “teams” that it is comprised of.
And that is where problems can begin. Sometimes staff members have the the tendency to build their little “t” team without regard for the big “T”, Team. This creates ministry silos that can totally dominate your structure and ultimately wreck the ship. At other times leaders want to build the “Team” without considering the smaller “teams” that exist within the structure. So, where is the balance?
My answer: BOTH. The little “t” team should build the big “T” team and vice versa. At the point where one occurs without the other, you are destined to have a problem. If you lead a “team”, keep the Team in their perspective. And, if you lead the Team, always remember the connections and relationships that exist within the structure. If you do that, you will have a great Team (and great teams).
How do you see it?
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