by Robert C. Frank
Everywhere you look on earth today you can see miracles produced as a result of God’s use of human teamwork. Hardly a week goes by without a new breakthrough. This is one of the most exciting periods in the history of Christianity because Christianity has been promoting teamwork for over two thousand years. It has always been in the background of the search for the path to eternal life. Now it is gradually receiving more visibility. While the Bible does not use the words “team” and “teamwork,” the principles are described there in many different places that have recently been documented by writers like Dale Roach who wrote the book, “The Jethro Ministry.”
The Ten Commandments, for example, can be seen as a gift from God to make teamwork possible. During his life on earth Jesus taught servant leadership, an enabling form of leadership that promotes teamwork. The death and resurrection of Jesus brought forgiveness, which plays a vital role in teamwork. The Sunday morning gathering can be understood as a team meeting to receive inspiration from God and learn how to serve God more efficiently.
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The fact that Christian tradition has not used the words “team” and "teamwork” has slowed the outreach of Christianity because Christians do not think of themselves as a team with a focused mission. They simply think of themselves as inspired volunteers. Teamwork requires deliberately coordinating the work of people with different skills in order to achieve a specific result. In modern churches that is called team-based ministry. In churches that have introduced it, loyalty is enhanced, greater accomplishments can be achieved, and the possibility of pastor burnout is reduced.
Robert C. Frank
Author of Christ’s Team
