Team Player

I’m currently evaluating of one of IMB’s training modules for the International Centre for Excellence in Leadership, "Developing Mission-Driven Teams". According to Learning Tasks #3-6, one of the interesting things about team effectiveness is that the team’s strengths and challenges have to be assessed from several angles: biblically, theologically, missiologically, and corporately. From my experience, to overlook even one of those aspects can make your team vulnerable to Satanic attack and/or irrelevance.
Here are some questions to consider (based on ICEL):
1. Are you working on a “mission-driven” team? What makes you say that?
2. How do you think your personal input helps to make your team a more biblical team? Do you have clear and measurable biblical goals like Nehemiah did? (Read Neh. 1:4; 2:4; 4:4 and 6:9). Do you and your fellow team members bathe your team’s work in prayer? Do you praise God for your victories?
3. Do you think your team is working from a proper theological framework? Even though your team is not equal to a local church, how does your team’s culture reflect the culture of a local church? Are there any theological inconsistencies?
4. Do you think you are working on an “apostolic” team or not? How does the word “apostleship” apply to your team?
5. Corporately, is your team more like a baseball team or a tennis team? Is it more like a basketball team or a cross-country track team? Is it more like a football team or a weight-lifting team? What makes you answer that way?

The way you (and your team) answer these questions will determine what kind of team player you will be. Here is a great brief article from Psychology Today in 2003. It’s a gentle reminder of what it takes to be a team player. Why don’t you ask your teammates what kind of player they think you are and what kind of team you guys have.

God bless you in any endeavor for ongoing excellence for the cause of Christ!

In Him,
Buck