church leadership

6 Tips to Build a Strong Team

Leading a team can be extremely rewarding or frustrating (sometimes a bit of both). From personality conflicts, communication misfires, and different (and often very strong) opinions, getting a group of people to head in the same direction on a consistent basis isn’t easy…even in a church context. When I first got into project management, I made my fair share of mistakes leading teams. I was so focused on tasks and due dates that I initially alienated certain team members who felt my approach was a bit harsh (spoiler alert: they were right). Thankfully, my leadership skills improved and I’ve learned a bit about how to build a strong team. Use these tips to build a strong team: #1 – Get to know each team member Each individual on the team has their own personality, skillset, working style, communication style, family dynamics, and other unique characteristics. You could approach two people with the exact same request, body language, and speaking style. One may respond with enthusiasm while the other wonders why you were so abrupt. If you’ll take the time to understand each person, you’ll be better equipped to communicate with and get the best work from each. When your team members know you care about them as much more than just worker bees, they’ll respect you more. They’ll also be more willing to go the extra mile when needed. You’ll cultivate a family, we’re-in-this-together, environment when you know each person as more than just by title or talents. #2 – Admit you’re not an expert in everything Value the talents of those on your team – especially talents you don’t possess. If you don’t have an eye for website design or aren’t well-versed in childhood development, express how much you value those on the team who have those skills. You don’t have to be an expert in everything. However, if you try to pretend you are, your team will see right through that and you’ll lose credibility. #3 – Establish an “open debate in private, support in public” culture Since you don’t know everything and hopefully hired people who are good at stuff you aren’t, listen to them! Ask for input, run ideas by your team, and get their honest reaction. Don’t berate or punish someone if they tell you they don’t think your idea is a good one and why. Yes, it’ll sting a bit but it’s better to hear that from your team than from the entire congregation if the idea flops. Obviously, each person should participate in debate and feedback with respect and kindness. Don’t be afraid of disagreement behind closed doors within the team. Talk through the pros and cons, various options, and decision-making criteria. Then, once you’ve made a decision, expect each team member to support it as soon as they leave the room. #4 – Be humble I hate to break it to you, but you’re going to make mistakes. I’ve made plenty and have had to eat my share of humble pie. When I’ve messed up, what’s kept me from losing all credibility has been my actions afterward. As soon as I realize (or am told about) my mistake, I apologize…profusely. I ask for clarification and listen intently so I can understand where I went wrong. Then I make whatever immediate changes are necessary and thank those involved for being gracious with me. As a leader, you need to model humility. If you don’t own up to your mistakes, you can hardly expect your team to when they mess up. Show them how to handle those moments and set the standard for your team. #5 – Address problems quickly When you have a team member who’s being belligerent, rude, or disrespectful (to you or other team members), you need to deal with that immediately. It’s best to not confront the individual in front of the team, but make a point to talk with him or her ASAP. Start by asking questions such as, “How’re you doing today? Is everything okay?” or “I got the impression you were a bit frustrated in this morning’s meeting. What’s bothering you?”. The reason I recommend starting off with neutral questions as those are less likely to put someone on the defensive. The next key is to listen carefully to the response. Find out what’s really going on and then continue the conversation. You’ll still need to address the issue of being rude or disrespectful and set expectations for future behavior. However, knowing the context of why a team member reacted a certain way can be helpful. The rest of the team doesn’t have to know if you confront the issue or not, but they’ll catch on quickly if this person continues to get away with poor behavior. It’s demoralizing to the team when they have to deal with this person plus it sets a bad example. Confrontation isn’t fun but it’s a vital responsibility that leaders must take seriously if they want a strong team. #6 – Have fun together Every church has intense seasons where it’s all hands on deck usually with extra hours at the office. You’re also coming into contact with people at very difficult moments in their lives: This all takes a physical, emotional, and spiritual toll on church staff. That’s why it’s important to carve out time to relax and have some lighter moments together. Go out to lunch, take your team and their families out to a movie and dessert, or give everyone an extra day off after a big event. Your team members want to be known, understood, appreciated, trusted, and valued. They’re looking for your approval. Get to know each member of the team, respect the talents God gave them, be honest about your struggles, and encourage honest debate. Whether you lead a team of 2 or 20, these tips can help you develop a strong team, prevent or reduce conflict within the team, and accomplish more together.

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How to Improve Communication Between Departments

Have you ever been frustrated with another department at your church? Wondered why they just don’t “get it”? It’s possible they feel the same way about you. If you’ve ever heard of “departmental silos,” you know this refers to departments that seem to operate independently and don’t share information readily with others. This creates inefficiencies, duplicate work, and a decline in morale. It’s important to improve communication between departments so you can work as a cohesive team. As an organization grows and you add team members, it’s easy for departmental silos to develop. One group doesn’t understand what another group is doing (or why) and when that crosses their path, conflict ensues. Another issue arises when departmental leaders don’t communicate and then present conflicting information to their teams or even the congregation. Here are several ways to get rid of those silos and improve communication between departments: #1 – Educate A lot of the frustration is caused because the team in Dept A doesn’t understand what the team in Dept B really does or why they should care. Start dealing with this issue by having a leader from each department give a 3-5 minute update in an all-staff meeting. The updates should include an overview of that department’s goals, what they’re currently working on, any challenges they’re facing and how the other departments can help. It’s also great for each leader to mention how another department has helped them succeed on a specific goal or at an event. #2 – Point Out Interdependencies Accounting can’t provide accurate financial reports to senior leadership without the right documentation from each department. The Media team can’t create an awesome announcement video without details on the latest Kids’ event from that department. The point is that we need each other to succeed and to serve the church with excellence. We intuitively know this, but sometimes we need a reminder. #3 – Cross-Train We’ve all had situations where we needed “all hands on deck” to pull off an event or handle an emergency. It’s also not uncommon for a staff member to change roles and move into a different department. Prepare for those eventualities by cross-training staff members on each other’s jobs. Have each staff member perform one of their key tasks with another team member shadowing. As they job shadow, have them document the task. This helps them learn the process and ensures you have up-to-date documentation. You’re probably wondering when anyone would have time for this effort. If necessary, cancel one staff meeting a month (or cut it short) to give everyone a chance to shadow someone from a different department. #4 – Ask Questions When you start planning a new event, announcement, or service, ask yourself this question: “Who will this impact and which department(s) should I involve?” For example: If you’re in the Children’s Ministry and are planning a fun summer party complete with inflatables, you might ask this question and realize you need to talk with the Facilities team. They can help you figure out where to put the inflatables, what to ask the vendor about how they’re secured to the ground, etc. #5 – Lead by Example This goes for everyone, really, but especially if you lead a department – never speak poorly of another department in front of your team. If there’s an issue, go directly to the leader of that department immediately to address the concern. #6 – Focus on Serving As followers of Christ, we need to follow His example and serve. Even if another department is driving you nuts, pause and consider the larger goal before “speaking your mind.” You’re all trying to achieve the same thing – reaching people for Christ and making disciples. Keep that in the forefront as you deal with the administrative details that go into working at a church. #7 – Share a Meal It’s harder to assume the worst about someone after talking about your favorite sports teams or your kids’ latest antics over a meal. Head out to lunch with a few members of other departments and get to know each other. You can “talk shop” a bit, but focus mostly on developing great friendships. Departmental silos and the resulting miscommunications, frustration, and tension can hinder your team’s ability to serve with excellence. Break down these walls and open up a path to greater teamwork and collaboration. Making the effort to improve communication between departments isn’t a simple undertaking, but it’s always worth the effort.

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What Causes Ministry Burnout?

We tend to think ministry life will consist of serving God faithfully, seeing people come to Christ, and stewarding a growing church. Unfortunately, serving on staff at a church can often become stressful, overwhelming, and all-consuming. For many people, this leads to ministry burnout. If you’ve wondered how much longer you can last in ministry, you’re not the only one. A quick search on “ministry burnout” turns up over 3.5 million results. From Carey Nieuwhof to Ed Stetzer and others, more church leaders are openly discussing the issue of burnout (many with their own experiences). Most of the resources I’ve found focus on the burnout of pastors. As the senior pastor is the key leader in a given church, if he burns out there’s a significant impact on the entire staff and congregation. Pastors also have the burden of “the buck stops here,” which contributes to their potential for burnout. However, there’s also the danger for church staff and even volunteers to burnout. While there are unique challenges that only the senior pastor faces, there are several common issues that can lead to burnout for anyone working in ministry. Factors that contribute to ministry burnout: #1 – Working for God…not always with God #2 – Unrealistic expectations #3 – Isolation #4 – Lack of Vision Clarity How to Prevent Ministry Burnout Tip #1: Delegate Delegate to whom? Great question. Even if you don’t have any staff reporting to you, you still have delegation options. You may have individuals within your congregation who could help a few hours a week with administrative tasks. Delegate the easier stuff first – tasks that take up your time but don’t require much training to pass on to someone else. Another option could be a virtual assistant. You can contract out specific tasks and pay for the hours you need. Another option is to find online tools or resources that offer shortcuts to the information or processes you need to implement. The Church Operations Toolkit includes templates, how-to guides, and expert interviews that can save you time and money. Tip #2: Prioritize Review your calendar for the last few weeks. What does that tell you about what’s most important? After all, what we schedule tends to be what gets done and therefore shows what’s most important to us. Does your calendar align with what you say is most important to you? While it may feel like it, not everything is urgent and important. End each day by creating a to-do list for the next day. You close out that day’s work and set yourself up for a solid start the next. Recognize upfront that you’ll never really get to the end of your to-do list. This isn’t accepting defeat; it’s facing reality. Prioritize your list and work on the highest impact, most valuable tasks first. Tip #3: Leave Work and Disconnect How many evenings did you work late last month? Your relationship with your family plus your physical health will take a hit if you’re working late too often. There will be busy seasons, but those should be seasons, not every day. This is much easier to say than do, but it’s important to say “no” to work (even church work), so you can say “yes” to your family. I like how Eric Geiger puts it in his post, Four Reasons Burnout Is More Prevalent in Ministry Leadership: “In most roles, overwork feels sinful and neglectful. In ministry, overwork can wrongly feel holy. After all, you are “doing all these things for the Lord and for people.” Some leaders struggle to say no because doing so would feel like denying ministry to people. Leaders can justify all the hours in their minds, the neglect of their own souls, and the neglect of their families. Ministry can attract workaholics and give them a reason to justify their addiction.” Turn off your cell phone and stop checking email after a particular time each day. You need a few hours each evening to decompress, spend time with your family and friends, and recharge. Let your colleagues know what you’re doing and who they can call in case of an emergency. By the way, you probably need to define “emergency” as “the church is on fire” or “someone passed away.” Tip #4: Invest in Your Relationship with God We all need time with God for the sole purpose of listening, learning, and enjoying His presence. It’s easy to try and justify not having personal time with God if you’ve already spent several hours preparing for a message. While I’m sure you benefitted personally from that time, it can’t fully replace time invested in focusing on your relationship with God. Take one day a week to do absolutely nothing related to your job. Play with your kids, take your spouse out on a date, go for a jog, sleep in, etc. Rest and invest in activities that restore your mind, body, and soul. You’ll be more effective and productive later as a result. Tip #5: Reward What You Value What do you praise or reward with your team? Working long hours or productivity that comes from planning ahead, making long hours unnecessary? Work with your team to plan, hold each other accountable to deadlines, and streamline processes. Tip #6: Leave Breathing Room Do you have any time scheduled (as in a meeting on your calendar) with yourself to think, plan, or dream? If not, start carving out time for this activity. This is time for you to consider the projects and tasks ahead in the light of the vision/mission of your church and considering whether you’re working on the right things that will help you achieve that vision. It’s time to think about your staff and volunteers…to consider how you’re leading them and what to encourage or correct. This time looks like the opposite of productivity, but this is where the magic happens. It’s where you realize you’re running in the wrong lane and need to make a course

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