Everyone would like to be a part of, or lead, a healthy team. But what does a truly healthy team look like and how does such a team function? Ron Edmondson shares 10 phrases that point to a healthy team!
Maybe we’ve made this more complicated than it has to be. I think there are values we can strive to attain which can help make our teams healthy.
Let’s be honest, in team dynamics – just as in relationships – there are seasons when things are better than other times. But, over the course of months and years we should be able to identify a healthy team. You certainly know one when you serve on one.
I have noticed a few key things which are taking place when I’m on a healthy team.
Here are 10 easy phrases which point to a healthy teams:
Relationships matter way more than structures or systems.
Titles never determine the importance of a person’s voice.
Good communication is highly valued.
Conflict is never avoided and used to make the team stronger.
Everyone embraces and loves a common interest and goal.
A person’s character is as important as their intellect or abilities.
The team rallies when times are tough.
No one gets all the recognition.
Enjoying the journey is part of the plan.
There are no minor roles or minor players.
How many does your team score?
Which of these does your team most need to improve upon?
And, if we do it right, we may be able to stop at number one!
A few years back, God said something to me during a prayer time that was one of those moments that you carry for a lifetime.
I was in a hurry that day, so I prayed for a shorter time than usual, and I remember moving quickly as I left my prayer room in the basement. As I was leaving, God spoke clearly, saying, it’s okay for you to go and tend to your work, but I cannot be rushed. I genuinely felt his grace and love and sensed that my prayer time wasn’t measured in minutes, but if I wanted the fullness of His presence, that could not be rushed. Whoa.
Waiting upon God is not always easy, but if you want to know how He is moving, you have to slow down and wait.
I do too.
When we slow down for time with God, His plans become more clear to us. When God chooses not to make His plans clear, His presence alone is enough, but that process can’t be rushed.
How might God be moving in your church that you don’t see at the moment?
2) Honesty with God is spiritually healthy.
If you are frustrated, weary, anxious, even wondering if God is with you in your ministry, it’s good to tell Him.
If you are wondering about your church’s future, remember it’s His church, and He cares more than you do, so be blunt. Talk to God about exactly how you feel. He can handle it.
This kind of honest conversation with God usually leads to spiritual self-reflection. It’s in these kinds of prayers that the Holy Spirit often leads me to Psalm 139:23-24:
Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Psalm 139:23-24
Verse 23 uses the word “anxious” (NIV), but you can insert many different words that represent what you are experiencing.
God will meet you there and often begins with the question, “Why?”
Why are your thoughts so anxious?
Typically, I’m reminded it’s me, not God, or life’s circumstances, and He meets me there. My hunch is that it may be similar with you as well.
This process leads to great peace, and your leadership burden becomes lighter because you remember you don’t carry it alone.
3) Figure out where you will get your water.
Desert times, weary times, dry times can leave any leader thirsty. And we can choose to “get our water” or quench our thirst from a number of different sources.
Obviously, God is our primary source.
No one and no thing satisfies to the depth that God does. But in His kindness and according to the design of His creation, God gives us room to be human and allows us to be refreshed in several ways.
But let’s first acknowledge a few ways that may seem like they satisfy the soul but don’t.
Working harder – Hard work is good, but working harder to fill an inner void is not healthy.
Gaining approval from others – The approval that matters most is from God and a small inner circle.
Changing how you measure success – Lowering standards may make you feel better in the short term, but over time, it’s only changed lives that matter.
Justifying drift – Pressure can make any leader justify unacceptable actions. Drift from God can lower pressure, but it will not increase peace.
Unhealthy diversions – Unhealthy diversions may feel good in the moment but can become addictions and should be avoided at all costs.
God has made room for your thirst to be refreshed, your soul satisfied, and your weariness to be lifted through ways such as:
The richness of friendships
The joy of laughter
The pleasure of a hobby you enjoy
The need for physical rest
The satisfaction of learning and growth
Again, nothing meets your deepest needs like God Himself, but don’t miss out on all that He provides.
4) It’s a great time to deepen relational roots.
In my perspective, everything comes down to relationships.
The first relationship began in the garden with Adam but became broken. It was restored through a relational covenant with Abraham and ultimately offered to all of us through a personal relationship with Jesus.
It’s a foundational biblical truth that relationships are key to our well-being.
Whenever you face a difficult time, a leadership weary time, or possibly a spiritually dry time, a refreshed and a renewed sense of well-being comes from strengthened relationships.
Pause for inventory and investment in your closest relationships:
God
Family
Friends
Colleagues
Is there just one that could use your attention today?
One of the traits that I admire in others and, with His help, practice in my life, is being a life-long learner. This is especially true as it relates to my character. In I Timothy 3 and Titus 1, two key chapters in the New Testament on leadership, most of the listed qualities have more to do with character and relationships than with skills.
I camped on Joshua 13:1 a while back “Now Joshua was old and advanced in years, and the Lord said to him, ‘You are old and advanced in years, and there remains yet very much land to possess.’ ” As I memorized, and have been meditating on that verse, I understood that, application-wise, it impacts both my work for the Lord, and my walk with the Lord. At first I was thinking of remaining land to possess mostly being my work…dreams to dream…goals to reach…people to influence. Then I was led to consider that “land to possess” could apply to my character and my relationships.
In some extended time with Jesus, which I try to have once a month, I was led to develop my personal GPS (Global Positioning Satellite). I wrote three thoughts in my prayer book that I have been praying about daily.
Gracious words –
It is so easy to be everything but gracious with the words that flow out of my mouth. I can be judgmental, cutting, unkind, not compassionate and critical. I am asking Jesus to help me be gracious in my speech.
Patient spirit –
If there is one sin that has caused more trouble in my life than any other it is being impatient…being in too much of a hurry and not waiting for God’s timing. I tend to rush ahead and take things into my own hands, not trusting the Lord. Luke 8: 15 mentions “bearing fruit with patience.” That is the first time I connected the dots between being fruitful and being patient. I confess that I hate to wait. I am grateful for His patience in dealing with my impatience. Even at my old age of 80 (that is why I can identify with Joshua…old and advanced in years), I am trusting the Lord for personal transformation in this area of my life
Servant’s heart –
I read Luke 22 and focused on verses 25-28, “The kings of the gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest and the leader as one who serves. For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves.” I’m asking Jesus to show me what true servant leadership looks like. How can I humbly serve others in ways that don’t draw attention and praise to myself?
As a life-long learner and leader, what has He been showing you? Can you identify some remaining land He wants you to possess?
As leaders, I’m confident we’ve all read that the average adult should get between 7-9 hours of sleep each night. I’ve also read that many, maybe most, don’t get enough and are to a large extent sleep-deprived a lot of the time; which can lead to other unfortunate situations that are harmful and unhealthy. Why would pastors and other leaders intentionally choose to sleep less? Chuck Lawless (pastor and seminary professor) shares eight reasons why we make this unfortunate choice.
Many of us in ministry get too little rest (and I’m one of the guilty ones), and we need to think about making changes. Here are some of the possible results of our not getting enough rest:
We run the risk of inadvertently illustrating a gospel that ignores the body. As Russell Moore has written, “Because we believe in the resurrection of the body, we know our bodies are not expendable vehicles for our souls.”[1] We must not prioritize and idolize our bodies, but we cannot neglect them, either.
We have little energy to do all that the pastorate demands. Pastoral ministry is not easy. It’s emotionally and physically draining. Rest helps us to have the energy we need for this work.
We often neglect our spiritual disciplines. We’re just too tired to read the Word. Like the disciples, we sleep when we should be praying. And, we don’t steward our bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16) to get the rest that God demands.
We’re more susceptible to temptation. In general, we’re less aware and less alert when we don’t get sufficient rest. It’s hard to put on the full armor of God when you’re worn out.
We’re often more short-tempered with others. Our family bears the brunt of our weariness, and our church members might, too. In fact, we might show who we really are when fatigue sets in.
We lower our leadership capacity. I’ve been there, and you probably have, too – you’re so tired you can’t pay attention, and you can’t even remember the details of the meeting you led. Weariness almost always equals less attentiveness.
We make ourselves more susceptible to other illnesses. A fatigued body is less prepared to respond to the germs and illnesses readily passed through church families that spend a lot of time together.
We’re likely undisciplined in other areas of our life as well. Seldom have I met a person who is undisciplined in only one area. Those of us who choose not to get enough rest usually make unhealthy choices in other areas, too. For example, I usually don’t eat well, either, when I’m not getting the rest I need.
What is biblical success? How is it to be measured?
A few years ago I read a book, The Paradox of Success, which dealt with the dark side of success. I’ve come to the conclusion that there is a vast difference between success and significance. Worldly success is not the same as biblical significance. A person could be incredibly successful and have very little kingdom significance. On the other hand, a person could be very significant in God’s eyes, but not very successful in the world’s eyes. Jesus is the quintessential example of this.
I know it borders on oversimplification, but success is much about getting and significance is much about giving. Paul quotes Jesus in saying that it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35), but I wonder how many Christians and Christian leaders really believe that. So much of our western culture is hell-bent on getting and we are being swept along in its wake.
Having stuff, nice stuff, and lots of it…being high on the org chart, very high…having a big salary, very big…and reaching your ministry goals, exceeding others expectations of you is still how many Christians understand success. We greatly admire and respect those who have, in our opinion, arrived. Do you think this is what describes true biblical success…kingdom significance?
Maybe, just maybe, we need to revisit our working definition of success to see how much of what we believe is truly biblical and not merely cultural, with a few verses added for “seasoning” here and there.
There is a dark side–a downside–to a misguided view of success: Greed, manipulation, pride, ego, using people for our own ends, being served rather than serving, an insatiable appetite for more and more. John D. Rockefeller was asked how much money does it take to make a man happy, and he responded, “Just a little bit more.” How much success does it take to make a leader happy? Just a little bit more. “Just as Death and Destruction are never satisfied, so human desire is never satisfied.” Proverbs 27:20 (NLT)
When it comes to success in leadership and in God’s church, we need to be careful of selfish ambition (James 3:14) as opposed to godly ambition, which Paul encourages (1 Timothy 3:1) by commending a man aspiring to the office of overseer. It boils down to what’s in my heart and what’s motivating me.
Recently I read Mark 10:42, 43 in The Message where Jesus says to his disciples:
“You’ve observed how godless rulers throw their weight around,” he said, “and when people get a little power how quickly it goes to their heads. It’s not going to be that way with you.” (Underlining is mine.)
As I thought and prayed about this, I journaled about how quickly not only power but success, fruit, admiration, respect, adulation can go to my head as a leader. It can all be categorized under the heading of pride, which is the biggest pitfall and land mine that I, and all other leaders, face. Recent leadership history is littered with the results of unbridled lust for success and acclaim. “It’s not going to be that way with you!”
There is something in my broken, fallen and sinful nature that wants (desperately wants) to be successful, well thought of, respected, fruitful; but, at the same time, there is something inside of me that is desperately afraid of the dark side of success…fearful of what success will do to me…go to my head, lead me to use people, abuse people, manipulate people, step on people, compare with people so I can be yet more successful in my own eyes. I lead scared!
This topic, this problem, this Paradox of Success has been the theme of many movies and books and is as old as time itself. How to be truly significant for the kingdom and make a lasting contribution for the glory of God, but not fall into letting what God gives me by way of kingdom significance go to my head. “It’s not going to be that way with you.” To which I say, Amen Jesus! Please don’t let anything you allow me to have or to achieve, go to my head and become all about me instead of all about you…all about my “kingdom” and not all about your kingdom.
God says when you run into troubles, it’s an opportunity to experience joy. That doesn’t make much sense, unless you understand the supernatural power of God.
He uses the problems in your life to help you mature spiritually as you become more like Christ. That means none of your problems are arbitrary or outside the power and grace of God. He can take any difficulty you face and turn it toward his purpose.
God uses your troubles to strengthen your faith. It’s similar to the way you strengthen your muscles. If you were lifting weights, each time you added more weight, the stronger your muscles would become.
In the same way, God uses problems to help you grow spiritually, building your character through a series of tests that strengthen your patience, your persistence, and many other traits he wants to develop in you.
Ultimately, he’s transforming you into a living image of Jesus. As you trust God in the midst of your troubles, you will grow in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
So how do you pass these tests? The good news is you get to use the textbook to check out the answers. They’re all right there in the Bible.
Here’s a good verse to remember: “When troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy” (James 1:2 NLT).
Why is it an opportunity for “great joy”? Because this year, as you face trials, you can trust God is at work, using them for your good. And as you lean into him, you’ll experience more of his supernatural strength and joy lifting you up, even in a difficult situation.
