The below article is an excerpt from Stage 2 of the process we walk our ministry partners through at elementum. If you’re a young adult ministry leader and are looking for support or to get equipped to take your ministry to the next level, get in touch!
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You have a passion for ministry and you’re working hard to see people encounter Jesus and be transformed. Whether you’re a youth pastor who also has a heart for young adults, a young adult starting a new ministry, an empty-nester leveraging your time and experience to invest in the coming generations, or anywhere in between, you want the Gospel to have an impact in people’s lives. But if you’re like most ministry leaders we encounter, you’re probably missing something crucial in your ministry; a team of leaders that working with you towards that same goal.
We’ve seen dozens of ministries that thrive while a specific point leader is present but collapse when they move on (usually the move is for great, God-led reasons). Our heart is to see ministries that thrive and have a lasting impact, and for that to happen we firmly believe that your ministry needs a team of leaders.
What do we mean by a team? Generally, a leadership team is a group of 2-7 people in addition to the point leader. We say at least two people in addition to the point leader because two don’t make a team, (but it’s better than flying solo!) and up to seven because more than 8 gets unwieldy. This group must be people who have taken ownership, bear responsibility, and have clear roles within the ministry, and should meet regularly to learn, pray, and plan together. We’ll get into more detail about what exactly a team looks like, how to identify potential leaders, and how to develop them in future modules of the elementum process.
But first, why a team? Here are six of what we believe are the most important reasons:
Six Reasons
1. If Jesus did it, you should too
Jesus was the son of God and the image of what humanity perfected should look like. His ministry method should be the model for ours. Jesus clearly worked to develop a team of leaders who would join him in ministry and carry on the work when he was gone. If Jesus did it, you should too.
2. Community is central to the Gospel
At the outset of creation God makes it clear that humans are not meant to operate on our own when he states that “It is not good for man to be alone” (Gen. 2:18). God intends for humans to be in relationship with each other and with him, doubly emphasized by all the “one another” commands throughout the New Testament.
If we believe that community and relationships are key to the Gospel then the structure of our leadership should affirm that belief. If we say community is important but lead solo, our actions disagree with our words. We need to intentionally shape how we do what we do so that it aligns with truth, and that includes operating with a team of leaders as an affirmation of the need for community.
3. Working in a team makes it not about you
If you’re a skilled leader and communicator with some charisma, it’s probably not hard for you to gather a group of people together and captivate a crowd. Or maybe you’re more of a behind-the-scenes, work-harder-than-everyone-else kind of leader who draws others through their faithful moral authority and influence. Regardless of your bent, there’s an incredible tendency for people to make the ministry about you when you’re leading solo. Even if you’re working hard to prevent it, solo leaders can easily become people’s connection to God rather them going directly to Jesus.
Working in a team prevents that. When there is a group of people who own the leadership of the ministry in a visible way it communicates to everyone that there’s no one with special access to God or special power to make things happen. And on top of that, it doesn’t matter how awesome you are, you’re not gifted enough to lead alone.
4. You’re not gifted enough to lead alone
Jesus calls his followers his body. The Apostle Paul expands on this in his epistles, making explicit the idea that every member of the body of Christ has unique gifts and callings that need to work together to build one another up into maturity (Eph 4:12).
No one individual can accurately represent Jesus effectively. No one leader can effectively lead a ministry to fully reflecting what God has called it to be. We need a team of people with a variety of giftings, personalities, and skills to do all that must be done and fully represent God’s goodness. With that wider array of giftings a team can accomplish far more than any one person could.
5. Teams can do more than individuals
Hopefully this is self evident, but it bears mentioning because most leaders tend to function as if we believe that we can get more done than a group of people would. In some cases that may be true – it takes more work to train up others to do something than to do it yourself. However, in the long run a healthy, functional team where people are living into their giftings and strengths will have exponentially greater impact than an individual leader could ever have.
Don’t limit the effectiveness of your ministry by trying to make it happen on your own. And don’t limit it’s lifespan.
6. Teams last longer than individuals
This point is particularly relevant in young adult ministry. Young adults are one of the most transient demographics as they move from home to college and from single to married and from one career to another and one city to the next. We’ve seen many ministry thrive for a year only to disappear the next because the charismatic point leader changed jobs or got married and changed priorities or a dozen other thoroughly legitimate reasons.
When a ministry has a team of leaders who are all owning the mission and have a passion for the work, that team will long outlast any individual leader. This is particularly when the team is properly equipped and able to naturally train up people to take the place of those who will inevitably move on. As we move through the elementum process we’ll help you take your team to that place so your ministry will, Lord willing, last and have incredibly impact.
When a ministry has a team of leaders who are all owning the mission and have a passion for the work, that team will long outlast any individual leader. This is particularly when the team is properly equipped and able to naturally train up people to take the place of those who will inevitably move on. As we move through the elementum process we’ll help you take your team to that place so your ministry will, Lord willing, last and have incredibly impact.
Here’s the bottom line: you need a team of leaders for your young adult ministry. If you don’t have one, now’s the time to start working towards developing one. Or maybe you have a group of “leaders” who in reality just give their input and then leave the work to you. Or maybe you have a group of people who will happily do the work that you tell them to do but aren’t taking ownership and carrying the ministry forward.In any of those cases, you have an amazing opportunity to grow into a place where you truly have a leadership team.
Regardless of where you’re at, our time together in this and future modules and stages is strategically crafted to help move you toward having a dynamic, vibrant team of leaders with whom you will discover new joy and power in ministry and in your own personal faith. May God bless you and your ministry as you pursue him in the process!
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