On Lasting #4

October 10, 2013 | by | Being "Missional", Leadership, Vineyard

Being A Good Team Player

I’ve already written on how important having friends are to lasting in the ministry in a previous post. Their personal support is invaluable. But having friends doesn’t necessarily mean you can work well with others. Some leaders may be good at leading and building but they’re not very good team players and find themselves breaking down.

They’re Lone Rangers. They’re good people, dedicated to God, their families and to their calling but they’re independent spirits that operate in their own isolated bubble. If they are part of a larger organization or denomination it’s in name only. They carry the name but they don’t play the game. For whatever reason they just don’t play well with other leaders. They show little interest in developing caring relationships and cooperative partnerships. They’d rather do their own thing.
It might seem odd to criticize what looks like strong independent leadership. But this often is something that stunts their personal growth and cheats them out of valuable intangibles necessary to lasting in the ministry over the long haul, such as…
1)   Having a wide collective kingdom perspective that safeguards against imagination ruining subjectivity that blows every insecurity, problem, set-back, and obstacle out of proportion and robs the isolated leaders of their confidence and hope. Leaving them discouraged and ready to give up.
2)   Having a relational safety net to provide camaraderie as well as pastoral care and guidance when the going gets rough.
3)   Accountability to counterbalance the temptation towards misbehavior and the abuse of power that being a Lone Ranger magnifies and intensifies.
These three unspectacular, unglamorous, self-denying intangibles of being a team player – having a wide kingdom perspective, a safety net of care, and accountability – have made all the difference in the world to me when it comes to lasting over the long haul.
What have you found helpful?

Being A Good Team Player

I’ve already written on how important having friends are to lasting in the ministry in a previous post. Their personal support is invaluable. But having friends doesn’t necessarily mean you can work well with others. Some leaders may be good at leading and building but they’re not very good team players and find themselves breaking down.

They’re Lone Rangers. They’re good people, dedicated to God, their families and to their calling but they’re independent spirits that operate in their own isolated bubble. If they are part of a larger organization or denomination it’s in name only. They carry the name but they don’t play the game. For whatever reason they just don’t play well with other leaders. They show little interest in developing caring relationships and cooperative partnerships. They’d rather do their own thing.
It might seem odd to criticize what looks like strong independent leadership. But this often is something that stunts their personal growth and cheats them out of valuable intangibles necessary to lasting in the ministry over the long haul, such as…
1)   Having a wide collective kingdom perspective that safeguards against imagination ruining subjectivity that blows every insecurity, problem, set-back, and obstacle out of proportion and robs the isolated leaders of their confidence and hope. Leaving them discouraged and ready to give up.
2)   Having a relational safety net to provide camaraderie as well as pastoral care and guidance when the going gets rough.
3)   Accountability to counterbalance the temptation towards misbehavior and the abuse of power that being a Lone Ranger magnifies and intensifies.
These three unspectacular, unglamorous, self-denying intangibles of being a team player – having a wide kingdom perspective, a safety net of care, and accountability – have made all the difference in the world to me when it comes to lasting over the long haul.
What have you found helpful?