Ministry teams are more than just a group of volunteers who “get things done”. They are the heart and soul of the church and offer a wonderful opportunity for others to serve the Lord with their talents. 

A strong ministry team also keeps a church healthy. Without a supportive team, pastoral staff and church leaders would be continually stressed and burnt out. 

But most importantly, a strong ministry team can develop Christian leaders who further the church’s mission and work to build the kingdom of God with their service. 

As important as a strong ministry team is, many churches struggle to create the best team. There’s often a disconnect between the church’s needs with how to mobilize and grow a well-intentioned team of volunteers.

When it comes to recruiting and building a strong and supportive ministry team, here are 3 things to strongly consider.

 

Build a team that compliments your leadership strengths and allows others to work within theirs.

For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ, we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. – Romans 12:4-5

Successful church leaders understand what their strengths and weaknesses are. They also know the best way to grow a healthy church is to develop a team with various skill sets for a well-balanced support system. And most importantly, they recognize that the heart of Christian leadership is calling others to serve the body of Christ with their given talents.

 

Empower your people to lead.

Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. – Matthew 10:1

Assembling a church ministry team should always be done with the intent to grow more church leaders. That means equipping them and allowing them to lead in their respective ministries. Developing strong ministry leaders may require training or resources so they can become more competent in their roles. It’s also essential that everyone understands you are all working towards the same goal, and they are equally important to the overall mission and vision of the church. 

 

Create an open space to communicate freely.

Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. – Colossians 4:6

The best way to create an open space for everyone to communicate freely is through trust. By establishing trust with each ministry leader, you will develop a safe relationship where everyone can feel comfortable and not limited to what they share. It will allow them to speak freely about what’s on their hearts and develop a strong spirit amongst your team.

To help build and strengthen your ministry team, try our Leading From Your Strengths assessment or the mini version QuickStrengths.