Video Transcript: Building a Team

Building A Women's Ministry

Finding Your Leader Team

After you have received the approval of the church, and you have a vision for the ministry, it's time to put together your team. There are a few schools of thought on the actual structuring of a team. The most common are:

1. A Team of Twelve - Jesus had 12 apostles, therefore, the women's ministry team should have 12 women. This is a great thought, but it can also be impractical. First, there is nothing biblical that states how many should be on a ministry team. If you have a small church with 50 women total, a team of 12 will be excessive. If your women's ministry does just one event a year, 12 is unnecessary. If you are a large church, hold multiple functions per month, you may find that 12 is the right number... or you might need more. Just keep in mind, the larger the team, the more personalities you will have that may conflict. Keeping a strict number of members can also cause you to lose focus when someone leaves the team because you "need” to fill that 12^th spot. Another consideration is that you may not have 12 positions to fill, and what then becomes the purpose for the additional people on the team?

2. A Standard Team - President, Vice President; then positions that oversee certain job functions regardless of the actual event, such as Treasurer, Secretary, Historian, Publicity, etc. These are standard protocol for organizational structures, but they may not apply to ministry, or the titles may feel too corporate. Leader, Co-Leader, Finances, Hospitality, etc. may be a better fit.

3. A Function-Based Team - Women's Ministry Leader, Small Group Leader, Brunch Coordinator, Retreat Committee Head, Ministry Administrator (Secretary/Treasurer Combo), Meal Ministry Coordinator, Community Outreach Director, etc. These are all names that fit very specific roles within the ministry and makes it very clear who is responsible for which tasks. It also allows for you to add to the ministry leadership (or take away) without upsetting the leadership structure. This structure is my preferred structure for a ministry such as this.

4. A Group Input Team - This is a very loose leadership structure without defined roles. In this ministry, there is usually a leader, but that is the only designation. As each event is planned, a list of responsibilities is presented and everyone volunteers for what they want to do or where they can best contribute. Group effort is great, but as a ministry grows, it can become a bit chaotic. Also, strong personalities can take over the group, leaving others to feel voiceless, feeling as if they don't contribute or they are left to do the jobs no one else wants to do. This is the structure I recommend the least. If you start off with this structure, it can be tough to move away from it in the future as the ministry grows.

I personally believe that in any organization it is best to begin your planning stages with the future in mind. See the big picture and form the team in a manner that points toward it. Structure is not only important in forming a ministry, it's biblical. Moses gave people specific jobs, so did Nehemiah when rebuilding the temple and Jerusalem. In the very beginning, in the book of Genesis, God structured and ordered the universe! Structure and direction at the start will make the growth process easier on the team, and the church. It keeps everyone on the same page with the same end goal in mind.

To build a team, you must have people to fill those roles. You may have a few women already whom you have been speaking with, which are ready and willing to get to work. If you don't have anyone enlisted yet, or you are still looking for more, there are a few ways to go about it.

• Ask your pastor or the pastor's wife for suggestions on who you should approach.

• Ask the other women you are working with if they have any suggestions.

• Pray that God will reveal the right women to you.

Something worth considering when forming your team is to create a team that has diversity. Yes, it is fun to work in ministry alongside our friends. We already get along and think alike. However, that can also cause you to create a calendar that caters to your interests and people who are, simply, like you. I would suggest taking a look at your church, who are the people that make up the body of women? Have women from different ethnic background, different ages or stages of life, or that have different life experiences as part of the team. The leadership team should represent and look like the church body.

A woman with a background in missions is definitely going to be geared toward community service projects. A woman who works and a woman who is a stay home mom will both give you valuable insights into the needs of women like themselves. If you are interested in bringing diversity into your church, it begins with your leadership team. A team of different colors, life experiences, and callings will create a women's ministry team that is prepared for the work ahead of them, which can reach further into the community and glorify God in your unity. Women are being divided from each other every day over silly controversies. Satan seeks to divide. When we put our differences aside and even EMBRACE those differences, loving in Christ together and serving God together, we set an example for the entire body of women, the church, and even the community.

When you have formed your list of potential team members, have a small gathering at your home or local coffee shop. Invite these women, and be clear about WHY you are inviting them. It's possible they may have other commitments, other callings, or they are just not interested in women's ministry. Informing the women ahead of time what the meeting is in regards to allows them the opportunity to respectfully decline before the gathering. Then, you have the opportunity to seek out new potential team members.

Gathering Agenda:

1. Greet everyone, thank them for coming and open in prayer.

2. Announce the formation of the women's ministry.

3. Share the vision/purpose of the women's ministry.

4. Discuss the various positions you are looking to fill.

5. Answer questions they may ask.

6. Inquire about who is interested in serving and hand them a spiritual gifts test from the printed copies available.

7. Instruct them to take the test and to get back to you with their top three spiritual gifts and what positions they would be interested in serving.

It is reasonable to set a deadline for the women to respond. If a woman seems unsure, have her take the spiritual gifts test. It may be just what is needed to show her that she has valuable talents to offer the ministry. Actively encourage the women to pray about the decision and to discuss it with her family before she commits to the team. You want to make sure that her family supports her joining since they will be giving up time with her while she serves.

After you receive the spiritual gift test results, compare them to the position(s) each woman is interested in. Pray that God will help you discern the right fit. Call each woman personally and offer her the job. She will accept or decline. If you are still short a few volunteers for the ministry, you can ask the women as you call if they have any recommendations. Have another gathering, and fill the remaining spots, if needed.

Since this is a new ministry and you may be having women who are serving for the first time, I would recommend reviewing these positions at the end of 3 - 6 months. It may be possible to shift positions. It also allows the women a trial period in which they know they can step down from the ministry if it isn't the right fit. Women are more likely to volunteer if they know they can step down after a few months without hurting feelings or letting the team down. And, as a leader, you want women who are going to be committed to the team and the vision.

Once you have built your team, you can begin to define the ministry goals. If you haven't created a mission statement, now would be the time. (Refer back to Topic 4 of this course). If you have a loose vision, now would be the time to tighten it up. This might be a good meeting to invite your pastor, or whomever is overseeing the ministry, to come in and share the vision of the church and answer questions. Having your pastor on board from the start is much easier than trying to reel him in later.

Make an effort to spend some time getting to know each other as a group. The more familiar you are with each other as individuals, the better you will work together as a team. You will become invested in each others lives instead of just seeing each other at ministry meetings. This connecting sets an example not just for the women in your church but for other ministry groups as well. It will also give you time to discuss things like:

• How frequently do we want to meet? Every other month? Once a month? Twice a month?

• Where are we going to meet? What is a central location for everyone?

• Will we meet during the day or the evening? Weekdays or weekends?

• Do we want a quick cut and dry meeting, or do we want time to fellowship together?

• How soon do we want to start having events? Immediately? Do we wish to take a few months to prepare and possibly attend a leadership training?

An excellent recommendation is to pick some Women's Ministry leadership books and share them with the team. You can have everyone read the same book or each woman reads a different one. Next time you meet, you can discuss the points or ideas that stood out. When you have never served in women's ministry before, this can be helpful in giving you a launching point to work from.

Books like Fresh Ideas for Women's Ministry or Building an Effective Women's Ministry can offer you a step by step walk through of putting together a women's ministry program. They will cover topics from talking to your pastor, budgets, and planning events. They provide checklists to follow as a guideline, so use what is pertinent to your ministry and discard the rest. Keep them for future reference as your ministry grows.

Other books, like Resource Guide for Women's Ministry or Women's Ministry in the Local Church, address concepts related to Women's Ministry function. They are a bit broader but still cover great information.

Finally, there are books like Word-filled Women's Ministry which will challenge and redefine how we view our role in Women's Ministry. (This is an excellent book to share with your pastor, if you are trying to get him on board!)

I have an extensive library of Women's Ministry information on ministering to women and leadership that I pulled from in preparation for this class. These are not only valuable for teaching courses like this, but also to those who are in ministry leadership and developing future leaders. We are going to discuss leadership development in the upcoming segments.

As a final thought, I'd like to leave you with something to consider and speak with your pastor about in regards to building your team. What are the standards and expectations of leaders in your church? Find out what these expectations are, put it in writing, and have each woman fill out an agreement form when she accepts the position. Some denominations have very strict rules for leaders, like abstaining from alcohol. Others are more interested in character and commitment. Find out what your church expects and put it in writing because it is really important for your leaders to know these expectations in advance. Then, they can make a decision with full understanding of what is expected of them. Some possible points to include: Regular service attender. Small Group participant/leader. Exhibits signs of spiritual growth. Faithfully prepared for meetings and duties. Some may even go so far as to require a commitment of six months or one year. These details I leave up to you.