The Value of Meeting with Your Team
Pastor Steve Crombie | The River Church, Minnesota
As the old saying goes, “It gets lonely at the top.” Of course, as pastors we know greatness is found in living as servants of Christ, not being the king of the mountain. But I’ve found that being the lead pastor of a church can be a lonely business if I’m not careful to do something about it.
A verse we appropriately associate with marriage also applies to leadership. The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” Genesis 2:18
As pastors, we’ve been called and gifted by God in many ways, but it’s a rare individual who is strong in all areas of wisdom, knowledge, marriage, family, singles, preaching, finance, administration, missions, facilities, recovery, outreach, and on and on. I know I’m not one of those rare individuals, which is why I so appreciate having a team around me. Yes, I’m called to lead the ministry, but I’m grateful for the many helpers God has provided.
Having a team helps broaden my perspective. Ideas filtered through the team develop in ways that are better than what I had in mind. As the team is included in the formation of the vision, they help me carry the load. Implementation comes with a higher quality, and a lot more gets done. Ownership of the vision also goes way up--both in the team and in many others they are able to bring into the process.
Speaking as a pastor who has endured many seasons of ministry feeling alone, having developed a team around me allows them to see and appreciate firsthand the challenges of ministry. It wasn’t my goal, but the support and encouragement that comes from them is very genuine and meaningful.
David had his mighty men and his advisors. Paul had Barnabas, Silas, Timothy, and others. If you’re a pastor, you’re the Man! And it’s not good for the man to be alone. You can trust God to make helpers that are suitable for you--to support you, enhance you, and (together with you) accomplish far more for God’s Kingdom and His glory than you ever could alone.
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