Since our first days in Lancaster, it has been my passion to develop a cohesive team at Lancaster Baptist Church and ministries. I praise the Lord that on our staff and among our church family there is a unified team spirit—a shared heart to exalt Christ and win the lost. I attribute the great team spirit in our ministry to the work of the Holy Spirit and the yieldedness of individual team members.
There was never a more cohesive and victorious time in the early history of the church than at Jerusalem around the time of Pentecost. An obvious reason for this was the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Yet there was another factor—the common convictions these Christians shared about the truth.
In the August edition of the Spiritual Leadership Podcast, we explore the convictions necessary to developing a cohesive team.
[mp3]http://lbc-downloads.com/podcasts/slp/developing-a-cohesive-team.mp3[/mp3]
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Strong teams have an alignment of four leadership domains—the heart, head, hands, and habits. Each member must have a heart for God, the mind of Christ, a willingness to lend a helping hand, and a shared habit of soulwinning. These four areas are properly aligned when members of the team share the very convictions common to the early Christians in Jerusalem.
- Convictions about a Person—Jesus: When we lose intimacy with Christ, we fear closeness, accountability, and teamwork with other Christians.
- Convictions about a Place—the church: The church is a place of teamwork, and it is a privilege to be part of a local, New Testament church.
- Convictions about a Priority—the Word of God: Our ministries must be centered around the Word of God to see lasting spiritual fruit.
- Convictions about a People—the lost: When we get burdened for people, we will practice “saturation evangelism” and go everywhere in our community to reach people for Christ.
- Convictions about a Purity—the holiness of God: The church should be a holy place in the city, where the pastor and each member’s life reflects the holiness of God.
- Convictions about a Pastor—the undershepherd: God has placed the pastor in the church to develop spiritual maturity in the people.
- Convictions about a Purpose—to glorify and praise God: A cohesive team committed to following Christ will reflect the glory of God.
The Spiritual Leadership podcast is a free resource from Striving Together Publications (a ministry of Lancaster Baptist Church and West Coast Baptist College).
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