Your Church Leadership Team is a crucial part of your overall church. It shares the vision and mission with you; like Aaron with Moses. It takes some of the load off your shoulders. As you know, pastors are not meant to bear all the weight of ministry on their shoulders. A good church leadership team will be active and proactive in making sure the execution of ministries is on track. With great efficiency, it will provide great leadership opportunities to many people while offering balance and care to leaders. But how do you know when it\u2019s time to expand your church leadership team?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Time is such a simple yet complex concept. It is simple in essence, you can count, invest, spend, boost, and make it count. Complex as well because a good moment can be terrible timing, which could bring a catastrophe! Imagine having the right conversation (asking a staff member to join your leadership team) at the wrong time (after a big Sunday service when the same tired staff has 2 crying kids that want to go home). You might not get the results you want!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Being aware of the numerous scandals that have plagued the Church in the last few years, having a committed and God-loving church leadership team will diminish the possibilities of leadership failures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I know the Church did not yet exist in Jesus’ time, but bear with me for a few seconds. Jesus had thousands of followers (like your church) and had hundreds of disciples. Then at one point, with good timing, he decided he needed 12 apostles who would share the load of ministry (like your church leadership team).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the directness and brevity of his Gospel, Mark tells us of that specific moment. He even mentions Jesus\u2019 foundational reasons for expanding his leadership team, \u201c(Jesus) went up on the mountain and summoned those whom He Himself wanted, and they came to Him. And He appointed twelve so that they would be with Him and that He could send them out to preach and to have authority to cast out the demons. And He appointed the twelve\u2026.<\/em><\/strong>\u201d Mark 3:13-16 (NASB)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n It is often believed that Jesus appointed the Twelve for the mission of preaching, healing, and casting out demons. Though this is true, the text mentions twice that the main reason he wanted a church leadership team, the Twelve apostles, is because He wanted them with Him.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are two other reasons for building the first church leadership team: to allow them to preach and give them authority.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n These would be your first three reasons to know it\u2019s time to have a church leadership team if you do not have one yet. You want a few people to be with you on the challenging ministry journey, allow them to preach or teach, and give them authority. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you already have built a church leadership team, the same reasons apply with the added nuance of timing of the expansion.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even if the terms are self-explanatory, you can understand that a church leadership team is composed of leaders from your congregation, comprised of staff members, elders, deacons, and\/or overseers that lead and supervise the various ministries of your church. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you are reading this article, you probably don\u2019t need to be convinced of the importance of a gifted and godly church leadership team. Still, you may be looking at the when and how to grow it numerically, logistically, and spiritually.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n As you know, expansion is not only a numerical figure like adding two new members to the team. It may be time to add people to your church leadership team, but it could also be time to expand the depth of the vision and broadening of its mission.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n The timing of that expansion is vital. As John Maxwell puts it, \u201cthe timing of your decision is as just as important as the decision you make<\/em>\u201d in other words, for our purpose, when you decide to expand your church leadership team is what determines its success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It may be a good time of expansion for you and your team, which is a biblical concept. It is called a season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Seasons are something northerners totally dig, as they know they\u2019ll have to shovel snow in one season, rake up leaves in another, see dead-like trees start to bloom, and then enjoy a short but joyful summer. If you live in the South, you may have two seasons: hot and hotter! Jokes aside, seasons exist for rhythm, renewal, refreshing, and rest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jesus talks about this when he mentions the seasons of a seed in John 12:24 (CEB)<\/a> \u201cI assure you that unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it can only be a single seed. But if it dies, it bears much fruit.<\/em><\/strong>\u201d There is a season of \u201cdying\u201d to bear more fruit. You may have to \u201cdie\u201d to some responsibilities that you handle for your church to grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the Old Testament, Jacob demonstrates this concept when Esau, his older brother, asks him to start traveling with him right there. Jacob declines, with the concept of life\u2019s timing, by declaring, \u201cYou know traveling is hard on children, and I have to look after the sheep and goats that are nursing their young. If my animals travel too much in one day, they will all die.<\/em><\/strong>\u201d (Genesis 33:13 CEV). So if the timing is important to expand your church leadership team, ensure it is a good season for the person you\u2019re asking to join.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lastly, Jesus illustrates this concept with his disciples when he compares ministry with agriculture. He says \u201cDo you not say, \u2018There are yet four months, then comes the harvest?<\/em><\/strong>\u201d (John 4:35 ESV<\/a>). Farmers learn to estimate the timing of harvests. In the same way, you learn to differentiate a season of harvest from a season of sowing, a time of working hard, and one of reaping the results of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While you keep reading, think of this article as reading the signs of the seasons to help you discover if it\u2019s time to expand your church leadership team.\u00a0 See it as a series of 16 words that will allow you to make a logically sound, emotionally sensitive, and spiritually mature decision to expand your church leadership team.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many leaders, no matter their personality type, start thinking about change, cogitate, reflect upon a subject, and then start acting upon it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When you start to think about expanding your team,\u00a0 you may be in that season of saying, \u201cI see the harvest season coming soon,\u201d to use biblical wording. Thinking about a project like expanding your church leadership team needs to originate from somewhere. Often, it\u2019s that genesis, that beginning. The origin is when you, the leader, start to think about it.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n The thought process is almost always the first step to expansion. Proverbs 4:23 (NCV)<\/a> states \u201cBe careful what you think because your thoughts run your life.<\/em><\/strong>\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n When you start thinking of \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is not a sign that you need to expand yet. But it is the first stage of an expansion. You\u2019re not there yet, but you have started walking on the path of growing your church leadership team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The next season of your church leadership team might be found in the fact that after you did all that cogitating, you take the first step of expansion: you evaluate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Evaluation is about assessing and rendering a judgment on a situation, numbers, or people. Judgment is a loaded word for many, but it isn\u2019t always negative. It is neutral by design. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You take account of facts, feelings, and impressions and line all those up against the data you found. There\u2019s nothing negative about that. If you were charged with speeding, went to court, and won your case, the judgment would be positive. The same goes for your evaluation. All you\u2019re trying to obtain is a clear picture of your church\u2019s situation, the efficiency of your church leadership team, or why it\u2019s functioning so well or not.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n You evaluate \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019re basically making a state-of-the-union evaluation, and this is very healthy. This doesn\u2019t mean you need to expand your church leadership team yet, but it will give you an idea of its level of urgency.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Such a harsh word here. You\u2019ve been thinking and evaluating; you\u2019ve been investing time in prayer and Bible reading. That\u2019s when you read John 15:1-2 (NLT)<\/a> and discover this \u201cI am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He <\/em><\/strong>cuts off<\/em><\/strong> every branch of mine that doesn\u2019t produce fruit, and <\/em><\/strong>He prunes<\/em><\/strong> the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.<\/em><\/strong>\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n In your evaluation phase, you should undoubtedly conclude that some ministries, some leaders, some processes, and perhaps some church leadership team members need to be pruned or terminated. Yes, I know. Not fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dead branches or even unhealthy ones still draw some life to themselves. If it doesn\u2019t bear fruit, God terminates it. If it is bearing fruit, He prunes it so it\u2019ll produce more fruit. That is your guideline. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To terminate projects, ministries, or even people is no fun task. There is nothing easy about it. The best way to look at it is to look for the organization or church\u2019s best interest. If a lot of your team\u2019s time, which is nonrenewable, and energy, which can be either spent or invested, goes to initiatives with little or no return, it is time to terminate those projects, even if they\u2019ve been staples for such a long time.\u00a0 I know it\u2019s hard, but as Mark Twain humorously said, \u201cSacred cows make the best burgers.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n You now know you may need to start moving towards broadening your church leadership team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The above discoveries are simply to prove to you the necessity of expansion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s time to add people to your team when you discover that things could aggravate if left unattended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Burnout is a real thing. For people, this happens when you spend more energy than the intake of replenishment. They use emotional, physical, or even spiritual energy at a credit. They borrow that vitality and vigor in hopes of a better tomorrow, finally living out Isaiah 49:4 (NASB)<\/a> \u201cI have labored in vain, I have spent My strength for nothing and futility<\/em><\/strong>.\u201d A high credit score may be good when buying a house or a car, but it is of no use in the case of ministry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When you start hearing your best people mention how tired they are, how busy they\u2019ve been, or they lack time, those are signs of tiredness. Worse is when you don\u2019t hear your most vocal ones anymore. You know that you know it\u2019s time to expand your church leadership team.\u00a0 By not doing so, you risk aggravating an already grave situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the flip side, when your church is on the upside, growing, energized, and healthier, and you sense your team bending without breaking, you have a pretty good indication it\u2019s time to elevate your church leadership team. Notice I did not say add new members yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Newcomers are getting connected and plugged into groups, serving teams, involvement is on the rise, and steadfast commitments are all signs of expansion. In this sense, growth needs to be the deepening of leadership development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many churches do not have a systemized way to have new leaders creating new opportunities for others. So this might be your next step of expansion.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWHAT IS A CHURCH LEADERSHIP TEAM<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
TIMING OF EXPANSION<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
BIBLICAL CONCEPT OF TIMING<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
BEFORE YOU ACTUALLY KNOW IT\u2019S TIME TO EXPAND<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. COGITATE<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
2. EVALUATE<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
3. TERMINATE<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
YOU\u2019RE GETTING PRETTY SURE IT\u2019S TIME TO EXPAND<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
4. AGGRAVATE<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
5. ELEVATE<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
6. ACTIVATE<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n