A Ministry Team is a small group of people with complimentary skills, who have affinity for one another, who are invited, not elected, by an individual to: achieve a common goal and place that goal before their individual interests; integrate their skills; and hold each other accountable to the goal.
Teams are designed and empowered to discern, design, implement, and evaluate mission independently. The top of the organization keeps their hands off of teams after ensuring they are within the pre-described boundaries. Teams function within certain pre-described boundaries called the Mission, Vision, Beliefs, and Values of the church (DNA). Once the DNA of the church is agreed upon, teams should have the autonomy to live out that mission to the best of their ability without interference unless they violate the mission, vision, beliefs, and values of the church.
Teams are NOT committees. Here is the difference:
| Committee | Team |
|---|---|
| Committee Elected | Individually Called |
| Committee Nominated | Leader Invited |
| Standing Group | Has an ending |
| Maybe a Mission | Clear Mission |
| Someone controls | Autonomous |
| Need Permision | Act on their |
Today's environment requires a different process of taking action and permission giving than in the past. People today will not support hierarchical systems. This is one of the major shifts of our time.
Forming a Ministry Team
Criteria:
- A new ministry had to has to have a champion, or one with a heart call to bring it into existence.
- Individuals from at least two other households must sense a call to be a part of this ministry. Ministries carried out by teams are not reliant on any one individual.
- The ministry team needs to be accountable to and connected to the leadership structure.