Effective, fruitful, growing churches have several things in common. One essential element is "Effective Structures." Structure is central to life, health, and growth.
Ministry Teams are Gift-based ministry structures, empowered by leaders. These teams work together to advance the churches Mission. Properly functioning Ministry Teams operate by four guiding principles:
- They pursue things which enable the church to attain its Vision and Mission. i.e. They ask, "How can we move the church toward realizing our vision?"
- They engage the rest of the congregation in those activities. i.e. They enlist the congregation to help with implementation of the strategies adopted.
- They provide input to the Elder Board regarding budgetary needs prior to the annual meeting
- They resolve hinderances to ministry implementation (relational, logistical, financial, spiritual).
Ministry Team coordinators should view themselves and their role with the team in terms of discipleship. "Rather than handling the bulk of church responsibilities on their own, they invest the majority of their time in discipleship, delegation, and multiplication."1
Keep in focus, these are teams. Team members are brought onto the teams to be participants in the development and implementation of the church vision. Collectively they ask, "How can we move toward the church vision in the area of (Evangelism, Fellowship, etc.)? This is the process of strategizing. They then enlist others of the congregation in the implementation of those chosen strategies.
Definitions
- Ministry Team: a group of believers who know their spiritual gifts, united around a Ministry Priority, who strategize and adopt steps to advance the church's mission. They also enlist others of the congregation to participate in implementation of those strategies.
- Team Coordinator: an elder (or leader appointed by the elders) who can serve as an empowering leader of a Ministry Team.
1 Christian Schwartz, Natural Church Development: Eight Essential Qualities of Healthy Churches1 (St. Charles, IL, 1996), 23.
Team Designations
We all experience seasons of trial and grief. This team helps the Body "weep with those who weep" so that when God seems distant, the Body is the expression of God's loving care. Hospital visitations, funerals, benevolence needs, care for those in nursing homes, and unexpected trials are the focus of this ministry.
Every believer needs to grow in the grace and knowledge of God. New believer follow-up, age graded classes, small groups, and affinity groups are provided training and opportunities to grow in their knowledge of the Bible and knowing God.
Related to communicating the Good News of the gospel. This can be at many levels of relationships (family, co-workers, strangers) and social strata (church services, in a coffee shop, at public events) and multiple geographic settings ("Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, uttermost parts"). This team focus both on "the doing of evangelism" and the equipping of believers in that skill.
The NT word koinonia translated fellowship means sharing. It relates to things shared in common. The most important among things we have in common is the Gospel, but it also refers to our common suffering in Christ, a meal, and material resources. When we share (have fellowship) we grasp that every good gift is from God. The fellowship team ministers in the areas of food and meals (Sunday coffee, after church potlucks, etc.) which enhance fellowship, hospitality (lit. "love of strangers"), weddings, and funerals in which we share the joys and sorrows of life.
The property (internal and external) are resources that enable the Body to gather, minister to one another and the community. Its use can be creatively managed for the glory of God, and it requires maintenance.
This team gives attention to all aspects of corporate worship. From "first impressions" to room environment, music, technology, and theology, so that worshippers are free from distractions and effectively led to bring praise, glory, and honor to God.