Ministry Teams: The Biblical Model

Ministry Teams: The Biblical Model, Written by C. Gene Wilkes

The basis for forming ministry and support teams is the biblical model for the church. 1 Cor. 12 and Romans 12 teach that the church functions like a human body. It is highly organized, but it is organic and diverse. A body has many members, but each one belongs and each one has a functional place of service. All the members work as a unit to follow the directions of the brain. Every part is connected to the others in such a way that what it does contributes to the overall health of the body.

Ministry and support teams are one way to connect members systematically to be the body of Christ. I am convinced that teams are the most effective way to complete the mission of God for your church because they best match the biblical analogy of integrated teams of organs in a body.

· What is the Difference?
· Committee-run churches fit an institutional model of the church.
· Teams belong to a mission-driven, organic model of the church.

Unique Functions of Committees:
· Committees belong to an institutional way of doing church.
· Committees tend to control the resources of the institution in order to maintain its stability and viability.
· Committees often see their role as controlling resources rather than empowering others with them.
· Committees tend to protect the assets of the organization.
· Committees tend to make decisions for others.
· Committees value agendas and meetings.
· Chairmen head committees.

Unique Functions of Teams:
· Teams belong to a mission-driven environment.
· Teams empower members and others to complete the mission of the church.
· Teams enthusiastically invest assets to complete the mission.
· Teams primarily make decisions for themselves as related to the goal.
· Teams value performance and goals.
· Servant leaders lead teams.

5 Advantages of Teams over Committees.

1. Teams involve more people more effectively. The mission to make disciples of all people requires that every member of the body be in service to it. Both needs and goals related to such a God-sized mission are so numerous that a limited number of groups cannot meet them. Members gathered in teams will involve more people on mission. You may have more people on committees in a traditionally organized church, but teams with a shared mission come closer to doing the work God has assigned the church to do.

2. Teams maximize a servant leader’s potential and minimize her weaknesses. Teams maximize the potential of true leaders in your church. A gifted, servant leader mobilizes and empowers a team of people who share his or her passion to meet a need. In the same way, a team of on-mission members can minimize the weaknesses of the leader. An effective team allows the strengths of some members to compensate for the weaknesses of others.

3. Teams provide multiple perspectives. The advantage of diversity on a team is that the team does not need to argue over where it is going. It simply asks how will it get there. Multiple perspectives help accomplish that goal. Diversity among members in the context of shared leadership toward a shared goal allows the team to be more effective.

4. Teams keep the leader accountable.
· Churches evaluate the committee chair’s performance related to the ability to perpetuate the work of the committee.
· The team leader is evaluated by his performance related to reaching the goals assigned to his team.
Servant leaders in team ministry make themselves accountable to others on the team for its effectiveness. If reaching the goal is the measure of success, then leaders who have made themselves accountable to it will graciously give leadership to someone else who is more effective than he is.

5. Teams can simply do more.Teams score. Committees meet. It does not take much to meet. Reaching a goal, however, requires endless energy, strategic positioning, and creative tactics. Teams that reach their goals or meet the needs assigned them have the potential to do more than other groups in the church - especially when they have a clear goal in front of them.

© 2001-2007LifeWay Christian Resources

The Seasons Of A Church Plant

We recently came across a timeline and overview of the typical development of new churches and church plants.

This overview is designed to guide a church plant or a church that plants churches. Each season includes a suggested timeline for completing bulleted tasks and will establish a clearly defined strategy for training and coaching the church plant.

Our TPCC Leadership Council will use this as a guide and evaluative tool to guide and direct our attention and help set goals for the present and future.

Keep in mind that these seasons are not necessarily in the order in which we or any church may develop.

I. PREPARING SEASON: Preparing to Plant (before day 0)
· Confirm the calling and vision
· Determine general location and ministry focus
· Establish prayer support base
· Begin church planning training and coaching
· Clarify ministry philosophy and models
· Design a church planting action plan
· Create a church planting proposal
· Establish a financial support base

I. GATHERING SEASON: Gathering a Worshipping Community (0-6 mo.)
· Implement networking and evangelism (word and deed)
· Implement home fellowship groups
· Develop core group and leadership team
· Manage conflict for unified values and vision
· Establish essential ministries (systems)
· Develop leaders over essential ministries
· Launch public worship and ministries

II. DEVELOPING SEASON: Developing Gospel-Centered Ministries (6-24 mo.)
· Develop leaders in essential ministries
· Develop frontline kingdom prayer
· Develop gospel centered-worship and preaching
· Develop transformational learning communities
· Develop need-oriented evangelism ministries
· Develop lay and gift-oriented ministries
· Develop emerging functional structures

I. MENTORING SEASON: Mentoring Gospel-Centered Leaders (2 yrs->)
· Develop mentoring leadership philosophy and strategy
· Develop mentoring process for raising up healthy disciples
· Develop mentoring process for raising up ministry leaders
· Develop mentoring process for raising up elders/deacons
· Develop mentoring process for raising up church planters
· Develop mentoring process for raising up movement leaders

V. GROWING SEASON: Leading the Church to Growth and Planting (ongoing)
· Evaluate church health and growth
· Establish church health and growth goals
· Lead the church to expansion growth (evangelism in word & deed)
· Lead the church in internal growth (edification/discipleship)
· Lead the church to extension growth (mono-cultural planting)
· Lead the church to bridging growth (cross-cultural planting)
· Lead the church to organizational growth

VI. LOCATING SEASON: Establishing a Community Presence (2 yrs ->)
· Determine whether and/or when to find a more permanent location (this is ofcourse depending on current circumstances)
· Find adequate facility and/or real estate (rent or purchase?)
· Establish planning for funds relative to location/construction
· Oversee relocation and construction process
· Repeat the locating process if necessary
· Prioritize mission in local context (word and deed)

VII. MULTIPLYING SEASON: Establish a Church Planting Movement (ongoing)
· Develop a unified vision and comprehensive strategy
· Implement spiritual renewal dynamics
· Overcome barriers and cultivate leadership
· Establish recruiting and assimilating systems
· Establish training and coaching systems
· Establish support systems for parenting church leaders
· Establish home-grown planter development systems
· Develop funding for a church planting movement
· Develop multiplying church planting networks

As a church, we should begin now to pray for the next season and beyond. Our preparedness is first spiritual with execution of tasks to follow. It is vitally important as we discuss each item within our respective season that we do not loose focus on our own personal gospel renewal, without which, there can be not gospel progress.

Much of this is gleaned from Church Planting Resources, Acts 29 Network and The North American Mission Board (SBC).

Helpful Resources

We have found some really helpful resources in our quest for inexpensive, or better yet - free, yet sound Bible studies, administrative items, worship elements, etc.

Capitol Hill Baptist Church has some great Bible studies and materials offered here.

Acts29 has very helpful articles and documents for the administration of church plants here.

more to come...

Acts 29 Network

Part of our research in church planting has led us to the Acts 29 Network of churches. At the same time I was researching them, I was actually contacted about becoming a member of the network. This is a long application process and we are right in the middle of the paperwork.

This is one of several strategic partnerships that will strengthen us as a church and offer a network of pastors, leaders and churches that are like us, doing what we are doing, with similar visions of ministry and doctrine.

From the Acts 29 website:
"Acts 29 is network of pastors from around the nation and world whose dream is to help qualified leaders called by God plant new churches and replant declining churches.
If you have a dream to plant or replant, we will assess your fitness to pursue that dream. And, if you are a good fit with the network we will strive to assist you with friendship, coaching, and resources that will help you successfully serve Jesus.
Simply, we love Jesus and if He has called you to serve Him in church planting they would love to serve you."

visit the Acts 29 website here

Influential Churches

Church Report has released their latest list of the 50 Most Influential Churches In America. It's an interesting read.

The Point did not make the list - gasp! Not yet anyway...

3 Questions

We are asking our people to answer three simple questions about the church. The responses will be used in a number of ways: they will help us in some ads that we are about to start, the responses will give us an idea of what is happening with our folks, and the responses will give our people an opportunity to testify about God's working in their lives.

The questions:

How has God used The Point to impact your life?

What do you like most about The Point?

If you had one sentence to describe The Point to people, what would you say?

We may use the '3 Questions' approach from time to time by asking new questions and then sharing the responses among leadership. This is not an original idea with us, just a good idea we heard about (but forgot where from).

Acts 29 Network

One of the first network of churches and church plants that we find affinity with is the Acts29Network. This is a ministry that offers resources, training, fellowship and coaching for new church plants, especially a church plant that is like The Point (modern in style and vision, strong in doctrine, innovative in ministry).

The vision of the Acts29network:
"Acts 29 is network of pastors from around the nation and world whose dream is to help qualified leaders called by God plant new churches and replant declining churches.
If you have a dream to plant or replant, we will assess your fitness to pursue that dream. And, if you are a good fit with our network we will strive to assist you with friendship, coaching, and resources that will help you successfully serve Jesus.
Simply, we love Jesus and if He has called you to serve Him in church planting we would love to serve you."

From http://www.acts29network.org/main.html

Establishing Elders

We are presenting our first Elder 'candidate' this Sunday. Brad and I serve as elders already, and have evaluated this man's personal testimony of Christ, doctrinal statements, family and personal vision of ministry. This has been a long process, but a very rewarding one. We are actually presenting one man this weekend and another men next weekend.

This is exciting...to see this church begin with a purely Biblical form of leadership and governance.

Mark Driscoll has written an excellent series of articles on establishing an Eldership in a church plant. Here it is...

"Even a cursory reading of the Bible reveals that when God wants to get something done He starts by selecting a dude to lead that change and works through that dude. Examples include sparing humanity (Noah), founding a nation (Abraham), liberating a nation (Moses), establishing a throne (David), building a temple (Solomon), preparing hearts (John the Baptizer), reaching Gentiles (Paul), and redeeming creation (Jesus). Therefore, a church cannot be successfully planted and expect to survive if it is not led by a dude who obediently follows God as He speaks through Scripture and leads through the Spirit. Therefore, in addition to meeting the requirements of an elder, there are additional responsibilities that a church planter must be willing to embrace and execute if he hopes to be the dude. They include the following:" click here to read more ...