I didn’t play team sports as a kid. In fact, I didn’t play sports at all. I was a geek or a nerd. If Big Bang Theory had been popular when I was growing up I could have been a star.
I missed a lot of important lessons by not being familiar with team work. I have a solo law practice and that’s no accident, but we can’t do everything alone. So much we do as adults, we do in groups. The same is true of Christianity. Although we talk about a “personal” savior and we take up our individual crosses and face individual judgment, Jesus taught us to pray in plural: Give us this day… forgive us… we forgive. He also spoke extensively about the body and the importance of it’s individual parts. If we look around the church today, it’s pretty clear that I’m not the only one lacking in knowledge of team work.
There are benefits in working together.
- Problem solving: When we put our heads together we are more likely to come up with solutions to problems.
- Accomplish tasks faster: A single person taking on multiple tasks will not be able to perform at a same pace as a team can. When people work together they can complete tasks faster by dividing the work to people of different abilities and knowledge.
- Healthy competition: A healthy competition in groups can be used to motivate individuals and help the team excel.
- Developing Relationships: A team that continues to work together will eventually develop an increased level of bonding. This can help people avoid unnecessary conflicts since they have become well acquainted with each other through team work.
- Everyone has unique qualities: This may be the trickiest part of team work. Each part of the body has unique abilities and plays a unique role. We can succeed only when we focus on our roles and support others in their roles.
In the church today it seems individuals struggle to find their place. When we don’t know where we belong, we don’t focus on what we should be doing, but instead become critical of what others are doing. When someone doesn’t recognize and execute their part, someone else has to step up and fill a role for which they may not be completely suited.
Those charged with leadership or with roles we consider important are particular targets of those who haven’t found their place. For example, anyone in children’s ministry knows how hard it is to get volunteers, but how easy it is to get advice about how that ministry should be done.
Take the pulpit once or twice and find out how many sitting in the pews think they are preachers.
We can’t get the job done, unless we do it together and we can’t do it together unless we are willing to learn our place, focus on that, and support and encourage those with different roles.
Go team. There’s work to be done.
Nick
Be the first to reply