Marc Estes

The concept of “Team” is not a new concept, but is one that has been around since the beginning of time. Throughout history, great vision has only been fulfilled through the compilation of multiple people that understood that the goal in front of them was larger than anyone could accomplish on their own. On the contrary, great defeat followed those who chose to pursue personal ambitions or dreams and abanonded the team that they were ultimately called to be a part of.

The brutal fact is that “Team” is easy to define, but challenging at best, to live out. The process of creating a healthy team culture requires that every person on a particular team shares the same beliefs, thoughts and attitudes, and that the combination of these three are reflected in their daily actions. Without this delicate formula in place, you will have cohabitation, but definitely not “Team.”

One of my favorite books on this subject is the book, “The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork” by John Maxwell. The important principles listed in this book are the foundation stones necessary to developing a world class team. I found this book to be a great tool for training leaders and discussing important principles with the teams I lead. If you are a leader in ministry or the workplace, I would encourage you to check this book out.

Over the past few years, I have had the privilege of working with an incredible group of leaders that understand the only way to truly impact an entire region and spread the Good News to the nations of the world is through the strategic development of a Team Culture at every level of the organization. To say that this process has been challenging, would be an understatement. It has taken great patience, sacrifice and dedication, but the time and energy we have put into developing a team culture has paid huge dividends in accomplishing our vision.

Last summer, during our Leader’s Retreat we spent a great deal of time discussing, “Creating a Team Culture.” Our Senior Pastor, Frank Damazio spent a few days masterfully defining how a church functions with a ‘Team of Teams” concept. I also spent an afternoon session talking about the practical aspects of developing a healthy team culture. I encouraged the group to consider four big ideas; know the goal, know your role, develop personal standards that build team, and pursue team values that strenghten the team. If you are interested in a set of notes, I would love to get them into your hands. Just email me at www.marc@citybiblechurch.org and I will send them to your free of charge.

At the end of this session, I challenged every department and ministry team to embrace a set of Team Covenants. This is a list that I developed using some of my own thoughts, as well a few adapted statements from the USC football team. Although these covenants were developed to fit a ministry environment, they can be adapted to fit any team.

• WE will accomplish what we do together. We share our successes, celebrate our wins, and will never let any one of us fail alone.

• WE will take personal responsibility to grow as individuals in our own personal lives. We will set our standards high and challenge each other to exceed them. We recognize that our weaknesses will affect the entire team and its mission.

• WE are fully grown adults and leaders of an incredible church. We will act as such, and expect the same from every person on the team.

• WE will not keep secrets or build any division amongst our team. Information that affects us will be dealt with openly, honestly and in a timely manner. We will quickly and openly work to separate fact from fiction.

• WE will keep our word. We will say what we mean, and do what we say. We trust the word of others to be good as well.

• WE will keep our head. We will not panic or over-react in the face of adversity. We will always choose to roll up our sleeves together to solve any problem or overcome any obstacle rather than wring our hands in defeat.

• WE will protect our church vision and church family at all costs. There is nothing we will allow to separate us from each other or from the purposes of God that we have been called together to accomplish. We will look out for each other.

• WE will be unselfish and expect that everyone will exhibit the heart of a servant. No one is above the need to serve another. We are servants together, yet each playing our distinct role.

• WE are each part of a greater vision than anyone of us can accomplish alone. We need each other. What we are a part of is more important than the individual role we play.

• WE will not tolerate a maintaining, declining or defeated mentality. We will accomplish all that God has called us to accomplish. We are in this together for the long haul.

Hope this has been a help for you. Let me know your thoughts.