Christianity has been teaching love for over two thousand years. Love is mentioned hundreds of times in the Bible, but love is not enough. The teamwork that Christ taught is also required. Loving others and desiring to be with them and help them doesn’t always mean that we are able to physically do that. Family members of people who are suffering from alcoholism or other drug addictions know very well that love is not enough. It requires a team effort through organizations like Alcoholics Anonymous. Young couples get married believing that they love each other, but later occasionally split up because they forgot that teamwork is needed to make their love functional and enduring.
Teamwork by definition requires the coordinated efforts of people with different backgrounds and skills to achieve a specific goal. Modern medical science, that has played such an important role in the relief of suffering, is able to achieve its great accomplishments because it has made effective use of teamwork. Team sports have been very helpful for teaching the fundamentals of teamwork.
It is the teachings of Jesus that provide an understanding of how love and teamwork are related. His life was a good example of servant leadership that is an enabling form of leadership. It enables groups of people with different backgrounds and skills to function as a team working together to improve the quality of life for all people. However, only in the last few decades have Christians become aware of the importance of team-based ministry for the success of their congregations. The Team-Based Ministry tab at the top of the Christ’s Team web site will provide more information about that.
Robert C. Frank
Author of Christ’s Team
