A frayed rope is useless. But “a chord of three strands is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:12).
Spiritually frayed men are useless too. And our churches are full of them. Maybe it’s time to hold a church draft and place all of our men on teams in the first round.
Here are ten reasons why men do so well on teams.
Men communicate best when doing something together on a team
When I was a pastor, I counseled many married couples. Often during those sessions, the husband would just sit across my desk with a scowl on his face while his wife talked and talked about their problems. Then I came up with an idea. I decided that since I like to hike in the Rockies, I’d invite the husband to join me to see if he’d open up.
And it worked! It normally took about half an hour of hiking. But inevitably, those angry and defensive husbands began spilling their guts.
Men do things together and then talk while they’re doing them. Business leaders have known and practiced this for years, often by playing golf with a potential customer. Mutual activity is how we men develop trust and show that we’re accomplished.
Men accomplish goals with a team
Men are goal oriented. We’re problem solvers. We want to figure out a solution to the problem at hand and then start in on the process. This trait is one reason why men can have a difficult time with church meetings, which tend to be content oriented rather than outcome oriented.
A team, on the other hand, exists to accomplish something, and this sense of accomplishment fulfills a man. On a team, men share their strengths to achieve a common end. And in the process, they strengthen each other.
Men develop accountability with a team
Teams help us develop accountability by making what we do a public project instead of a private project. In our men’s team ministry, men work with vulnerable people, such as widows and single mothers. Serving these people as a team maintains a public profile and keeps everything above board.
Men keep their focus and increase their energy level with a team
As individuals, we men can get distracted, bored and lose enthusiasm for a goal. But a team helps us maintain our focus and drive. We urge each other on when one team member gets down. By doing so, we increase the likelihood that we will achieve what we have set out to do.
Men share the load with a team
“Many hands make little work,” the old adage goes. Caring for a widow or single mom is a huge responsibility. But the task becomes manageable by using a team.
Men gain flexibility with a team
There are times when we have other responsibilities that take priority over our men’s team ministry. We may have a child who is sick or is playing a soccer game at the same time our team is meeting. Or our boss may send us out of town. By being on a team, we know that the other members can stand in for us when we can’t make it.
Men learn from each other on a team
Scripture says, “Let us consider how we may encourage each other to love and good deeds,” (Hebrews 10:24). Teams are an excellent way to do exactly this. The camaraderie of a team builds on a man’s natural competitive spirit. He wants to do his best because his team members – and care receiver – are watching.
Men develop Christ-like qualities with a team
On a team, we learn to serve each other, not just our care receiver. We also discover that we are not more critical to the success of the team than anyone else. This attitude of humble service is what Paul is talking about in Philippians 2 when he says, “Let us consider one another as more important than ourselves.”
Men have fun on a team
I see it again and again: men serving their care receiver on a team have a blast. The sheer joy of knowing that they are doing something that brings great comfort to their care receiver and pleases the Lord releases men to relax and have fun.
Men achieve consistent, effective, long-term ministry with a team
The ultimate goal of our men’s team ministry is to provide years long service for our care receiver. It would be difficult to do this as an individual. But teams of men can and do achieve this goal. We see many teams that have been serving their care receiver for well over ten years now.
This post first appeared in NewCommandment.org.
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Learn how to form teams of men for every widow, single mom
and fatherless child in your church at NewCommandment.org.
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