Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.
(1 Cor. 1:10 KJV)
I have a serious concern to bring up with you, my friends, using the authority of Jesus, our Master. I’ll put it as urgently as I can: You must get along with each other. You must learn to be considerate of one another, cultivating a life in common. I bring this up because some from Chloe’s family brought a most disturbing report to my attention that you’re fighting among yourselves! I’ll tell you exactly what I was told: You’re all picking sides, going around saying, “I’m on Paul’s side,” or “I’m for Apollos,” or “Peter is my man,” or “I’m in the Messiah group.”
(1 Cor. 1:10 MSG)
I am reminded of the story of the leader who was asked to help a group of leaders communicate better between themselves. He first asked them, ‘Are you friends?’ There was no answer, so he asked them again and still no answer, so he said, ‘By your lack of response you are not friends.’ To build a great team you must first be friends. For a team to work together, they must be onboard with the vision and the culture of the church. Do you know the vision of the church? If your answer is no, then take the time to find out.
There are four things that stood out to me in the 1 Cor. 1:10. The first was how serious Paul was with them. How serious are you with the position that you have on the team? Some theologians say he was begging the Corinthian church. Do you understand faithfulness and commitment?
Second he asked that there be no divisions among them and the Message Bible said it so well, “You must get along with each other.” Do you leave a team meeting with unanswered questions and direction?
Third he asked them to speak the same thing. I have ministered in hundreds of churches and it amazes me how often when I speak to team members that they are not on the same page with the other team members in the church.
Fourth he asked them to be of the same mind and judgement. I like what the Message Bible said, “Be considerate of one another, cultivating a life in common.”
So building a great team takes effort on your part as a team member to do what is right. Let’s put it this way: you must have a healthy life to build a great team. That word healthy comes from the word holy. A healthy (holy) team will influence a congregation in many ways.
As the pastor of the church it is your responsibility to make sure your team members have healthy lives. Meet with them individually and be real with them about their team responsibilities, but also their personal lives. Make time for your team members to do fun things together outside of the office. When you have a healthy team around you, the greater the peace of God will be with you and even a greater anointing will be upon you.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
"A Pastor's Friend" Since 1977, Dr. Buddy Bell has been serving pastors and families in the local church. Because of his faithfulness and commitment to serve, God has anointed him to teach on the Ministry of Helps.
In 1986, he founded Ministry of Helps International, Inc. in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he serves as president. His insights into the much-needed message of the Ministry of Helps have enabled countless people to find and fulfill their place in the Body of Christ. In June of 2006, Dr. George Walters, president of Faith Theological Seminary and Christian College in Tampa, Florida, and its Board of Directors, presented Dr. Buddy Bell with an honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity.
Dr. Bell is also an international teacher, trainer of champions, and a successful author, with the books The Ministry of Helps Handbook, revealing how to be totally effective serving in the Ministry of Helps; Ushering 101, which is the most complete manual available for ushers today; and Greeting 101, giving easy steps to greeting in the local church. In addition, he has produced Usher Training System 101, Development of Local Church Membership, Development of Local Church Leadership, and 20 teaching DVD's. More than 10,000 churches worldwide are utilizing these materials. Dr. Bell has traveled to over 3,000 churches, teaching and helping church staff and congregations work together with far greater effectiveness. With humor, zeal, and an anointing from God to present the Ministry of Helps, he motivates people by awakening them to the power and plan of the Holy Spirit for accomplishing the work of the ministry through every believer.