Part 2
The Importance of Teams
Feature
3 minute 30 second read
God’s ministry is a team effort, as evidenced throughout Scripture. We see this model with Moses, the leader, and Aaron, the spokesman, teaming up. Nehemiah divided the Israelites into teams to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, with each one focused on a different task. Jesus, too, had a team of twelve, which he often broke into smaller teams for specific tasks – sending them out two-by-two. He invested deeply in the lives of this diverse group, moulding them into a unified team of disciples. Paul adopted a similar team approach, mentoring those he took with him on his missionary journeys. As Pioneers, we model our ministry after Scripture: working as a team is a key building block we use to engage in ministry.
A team is a group of members united by a specific purpose: to glorify God among unreached peoples by initiating church planting movements in partnership with local churches. While some teams serve in big cities, many operate in highly isolated places. Some of my teams in the Middle East, for instance, are the only believers in their area. In such contexts, the team becomes a family. They commit for the long term, focused not just on survival, but on thriving together; their goal is not only to complete a task, but to be effective in their partnership. A strong team thrives on diversity: some members are task-driven, others more pastoral; some are extroverts, others introverts. They complement each other, embodying the scriptural truth: ‘Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ’ (1 Corinthians 12:12). Each part is necessary and together they are like, ‘A cord of three strands [that] is not quickly broken’ (Ecclesiastes 4:12).
This truth was brought into sharp focus during the pandemic. Those who were new on the field or had not yet developed a robust social network struggled emotionally due to isolation. In contrast, those in strong, established teams were able to reach out and thrive. A healthy team is truly the heartbeat that sustains long-term ministry. It also enables greater effectiveness, as people utilise their various spiritual gifts – teaching, hospitality, encouragement, and so on. All these gifts, working together, embody Christ to a new community. Furthermore, a team provides mutual encouragement and accountability. Learning a new language, for example, is one of the hardest things to do, but doing it two-by-two in a team setting offers real encouragement.
Working as a team is a key building block we use to engage in ministry.
Our Deeper Waters vision calls us to go beyond our historical locations and into isolated territories with new language groups and people groups. The question we ask is, ‘How, Lord, will we ever enter that community to bring the good news?’ The answer is simple: it will only happen through a team called to that specific situation. A healthy team, with a shared purpose, is the necessary starting point for developing a ministry to share the gospel within a community and develop a holistic church-planting strategy together.
As a mission, one of our greatest challenges is our theological and cultural diversity. One example is a team with sixteen different nationalities – what a mix! This diversity means that working together is not always easy. We may have someone from a charismatic background serving alongside someone from a Calvinist background, both with the goal of planting a church for an unreached people group. What kind of church will they plant? This requires them to develop maturity in discussing theological issues that can be challenging at the best of times. Living and working together as a team is a sanctifying experience. Discerning and learning together, trusting that the Holy Spirit will speak, is a wonderful thing. Teamwork is only possible by the grace of the Lord – which aligns with Pioneers’ Core Value** of Ethos of Grace, alongside being Team-Centred. Our focus must remain on the primary matters of the gospel, refusing to let secondary issues cause division.
I have observed over many years of ministry that you must intentionally invest in teams. Forming a strong and healthy team takes time, grace, and courage. If one person lacks faith and another has it, they can still move forward together. Scripture underlines this truth with the simple phrase, ‘Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labour’ (Ecclesiastes 4:9). May we embrace the importance of teams as we long to see, ‘A great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb’ (Revelation 7:9).
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**Find out more about our Core Values at pioneers.org.uk/discover/about-pioneers
We produce a quarterly prayer diary Prayerlink which features ministry teams in the Arab world. Each week, you can pray behind the vision of a team, pray for specific challenges they face and hear answers to prayer. Contact Chris on chrisb@pioneers.org.uk to sign up.
