Commit to creating a healthy culture for your team that supports, encourages, and propels the mission forward.
Pastor, you are called to lovingly lead and care for those God has entrusted to you. This includes the other pastors and staff who serve alongside you.
A younger pastor recently asked me, “What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned in 20 years of ministry?” My mind flooded with advice I wanted to give about all areas of ministry, but he asked for the biggest lesson. So, I thought for a moment and said, “The mission of the church is too important and too big to go it alone.”
Every pastor needs a team. They need co-laborers who are just as equipped and excited to do the work God has called them to do. Whether they are lay leaders, part-time employees, or full-time employees, your staff team is God’s gift to help you fulfill the mission of making disciples.
Like any gift, these people need to be stewarded well. They need to be led in a way that reflects their value as individuals and their strength as a team. As a pastor, it is your responsibility to invest in your staff to help them be all God has gifted and called them to be. Here are four habits you can use to develop a healthier staff team.
Culture is made up of a shared set of values, beliefs, and practices. Every staff team needs to have a shared set of values and expectations. They need something that defines the attitudes and behaviors that are expected of the team and a way of committing to living those values out.
In 2016, our church staff participated in an assessment to determine overall team health, and the results were less than impressive. The assessment results used the word “toxic” to describe our staff team.
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