Church: The Ultimate Team Sport

God designed the church for every member to do the work of ministry, not just the pastors. This thought is admonished in Ephesians 4:11-16, 1 Peter 5:1-4, Acts 6:1-4. From the beginning of The Scriptures we see team ministry being played out: Moses and Aaron, David and his fighting men, Jesus and his disciples, Paul and Silas/Barnabas/Timothy. Leonard Sweet states, “Jesus invested everything he had in a team. The Bible knows nothing of solo ministry, only team ministry.” Team ministry is relating persons to persons and persons to tasks in ways that build up persons to achieve the goals of the church. Team building does not use people up for the sake of the church; it builds people up for the sake of the kingdom. The qualities of a championship team are communication, collaboration, competence, and confidence. The work of the church can never be achieved by one person or a few people. It will take the participation of everyone coming together to fulfill their roles, using their gifts, and serving in harmony to achieve the purposes God has for us. Remember the two common sayings related to team: “There is no ‘I’ in team” and “Team is defined as: Together Everyone Accomplishes More.” The eternal destinies of men and women and boys and girls are at stake. Church is a team.

In what ways is your church operating as a team?

About Rick Ezell

I am a husband, father, pastor, and writer. This blog is about shaping character, transforming church, and impacting culture. I believe that if one defines their moments then their moments will determine their character and their character will influence their world. I write on personal development, church leadership, and our changing culture. I also write about the resources I am developing and the books I am writing. My goal is to create challenging, relevant, and inspiring content that will help you be a better person, the church be a better parish, and the world a better place. If you are interested in those things, this blog is for you. I have served the church my entire career as a student minister and senior pastor. I studied at Samford University, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Northern Baptist Theological Seminary (eventually I will get it). I have written eight books. My most recent ones are Chapter 13: The Excellence of Love and Soul Therapy: The Healing Words of Psalm 23. Both are available as eBooks. I have written over 1000 articles for various local, regional, and national publications. I have been married to Cindy for thirty-three years. We have one wonderful daughter. We live in Greenville, SC. In my free time, I enjoy writing, reading, running, tennis, and golf. You can contact me via email or follow me on Twitter or Facebook. This is my personal blog. The opinions I express here do not necessarily represent those of my employer. The information I provide is on an as-is basis. I make no representations as to accuracy, completeness, correctness, suitability, or validity of any information on this blog and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its use.

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