A ministry is never run by a single individual, it is a team’s effort!

All prophets and apostles in the old and the new testaments found thier teams in their respective trustworthy aides, disciples and friends, on whom they leaned in order to remain effective in their ministry.

And so is the same with church ministry, though what I have realised is that, it could, at times, be really challenging to select people to be a part of your team, especially if it is a church leadership or a ministry team.

Over the years, there have been a few things that I have personally looked into before picking my team mates, which I like to share over here. I hope it helps you as well.

1. Follow Your Vision

There are many who will be blessed by your ministry, some who would be blessed by your life, but few who would actually catch your vision. You need to be able to discern between who is following you and who is actually following your vision. There are many who followed Jesus, but Jesus didn’t make all of them into His team.

You may have a lot of close friends who love you and are great supporters of yours, but not everyone can be your team unless they carry the same vision as yours. What we need to understand here is that we cannot convert every follower or disciple into a team member. Our team should be made up of people who really believe in the vision and are ready to rally for the same.

2. Hard Work & Commitment

It is interesting to note that Jesus picked up most of his disciples from their respective work places…some were fishing, one was collecting taxes. The fact that they were hard working in their present occupation was a confirmation that they would do the same for what Jesus would commission them for.

Dedication is another key aspect one has to be careful about. Will the person stand the test of time? Apostle Paul, in fact, fought with Barnabas to get John Mark off of his travel team because he wasn’t committed enough in their previous trip. I myself have lost team members who had the same vision and were hard working as well, yet lacked the dedication and commitment to stand for the same till the end.

That was one thing about Jesus’ disciples that thrills me! Except the one who betrayed Him, every one of them were brutally persecuted and tortured for the sake of the mission, yet they held on till the end.

3. Avoiding Nepotism

I borrow this one from Bishop T D Jakes’ sermon (Click here to watch the complete sermon). Nepotism is when one shows partiality towards the one he/she likes and favours them and puts them on his/her team. This is especially relevant in India and among some cultures and communities who wouldn’t allow or appoint anyone from outside their language or culture to be on their board or their team.

This is a mistake that I have made in the past and have regretted. Whatever reasons one may quote for the same, it is not a Godly thing to do. We serve a God who shows no partiality, or favouritism. Let us do the same in our own ministry and work cultures.

4. Character vs. Skillset

Not everyone would agree but it is important to look for a person with a sincere character than one with amazing capabilities or influence. We all tend to want to put the most effective person on our team. Yes, it’s great to pursue excellence, but when we do it at the cost of overlooking character faults, we might end up paying big time.

When you have a humble and teachable person willing to be part of the team, the specific skill sets that you desire in him or her can be developed over time and hard work.

Always, prefer the heart of the person over his hands. You will never go wrong that way.

5. Led by the Spirit

In fact, this is THE most important thing that should be on our hearts when we are in the process of setting up a team. Jesus spent an entire night in prayer before selecting His disciples. In fact, He continued to regularly take them to God during His prayer times even after that. If you are intently listening to the Spirit before taking each step of the way, you will never be led to the wrong places.

Has this post helped you? What are the things that you would like to add to the list? Please discuss below.