Home Pastors Articles for Pastors The Skills Every Church Staff Member Needs

The Skills Every Church Staff Member Needs

Teams come in all sizes and styles. Some teams wear uniforms, practice daily, and compete in tournaments and championships. Some work together on a building project, a life-saving endeavor, or in pursuit of a prosecution. No matter what the team looks like, a common goal is always the pursuit.

Churches have teams, too.

The Skills Every Church Staff Member Needs

These may consist of staff members, lay leaders, volunteers, elders, deacons, teachers, youth leaders, and the list goes on, but the common goal that unites them is to serve the church and to do it well.

Just as a sports team trains, practices skills, and receives instruction and encouragement from a coach to improve, a church’s leadership team must do the same. But what does that really look like? Where do you even begin, and what skills are important?

While there are many ways to train your team, we believe there are twelve core team training skills that can’t be missed, and we want to share a few of them with you.

#1 – Integrity

Integrity is consistently choosing to do the right thing.

Often the right thing is obvious and everyone can agree on what that looks like, but not always. Developing a team of people with integrity is the first area to tackle and the one that will make the greatest impact to your church and its ministries.

For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart (1 Samuel 16:7).

#2 – Work Ethic

Work ethic is bringing your best to whatever you do.

We all work at something, but are we doing it in the best way possible? Understanding what a work ethic actually is and how to improve on it is vital to your and your team’s effectiveness. Kingdom work cannot be done well or result in changed lives with a team that does not value a Christ-centered work ethic.

Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him (Colossians 3:17).

#3 – Unity

Unity is a shared effort toward a common goal.

Families, communities and churches alike all strive for unity. However, FINDING unity is often a lot harder than seeking it. Learning how to create an atmosphere of unity, by honoring our similarities and differences, complements effective teams. Being united is often discussed as a lofty, yet somewhat unattainable goal, but there are ways that teams can achieve unity.

How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! (Psalm 133:1)

#4 – Communication

Communication is saying what needs to be said so people can do what needs to be done.

We are constantly communicating: speaking, writing, texting, emailing, posting…and chances are, we all believe we’re very good at it. But how do we really know that what we’re trying to communicate has been understood and can be acted upon? Effective communication is possible. It gets everyone on the same page and working toward a common goal, while minimizing frustrations and missed opportunities.

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver (Proverbs 25:11).

#5 – Delegating

Delegating is trusting and empowering someone to act.

We all know that we can’t do everything, but how do we know what to give up and what to keep? Just assembling a team isn’t enough; if you’re trying to do everything yourself, you’re not leading. Churches are composed of members with a range of skills, strengths, and talents. Leveraging these by delegating tasks to the right people fortifies the team and the church as a whole.

The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone (Exodus 18:18).

#6 – Planning

Planning is deciding and documenting what needs to be done.

There are literally hundreds of planning methods, tools, and apps. Which is right for you, your team, and your church? You can figure out what needs to be done and the best way to do it. This will allow for successful implementation of projects, programs, and ministries.

Commit your work to the Lord and your plans will be established (Proverbs 16:3).

That’s just a peek at six of the 12 skills we feel are most important for you and your team.

We also know that churches and pastors often struggle with team training, and the reasons are valid. Some of the concerns we hear from pastors are:

“I don’t know where to begin.”

“I don’t have the time.”

“We don’t have any resources.”

“There are too many resources.”

Take Your Next Step

Finding the right team training resources can be overwhelming when you have a million things to do. To be a great leader, you need to be intentional. So, we decided to offer a simple-to-use, everything-you-need solution. In 12 lessons, you will find action steps, Scripture references, input from pastors and other professionals, reading recommendations, and worksheets to use with your team.

You can “tack-on” these lessons to a monthly staff meeting or as a part of a leadership retreat. You can even teach the curriculum from your iPhone and send the video and materials to your leaders.

We guarantee that time spent training your team will be time well spent. The end result is you having more time to focus on your ministry, knowing your team is running smoothly and has the mission of the church in mind at every turn.  We’ve included Team Training at no extra cost for all Church Fuel members.

This article originally appeared here