“Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” Philippians 2:1-4

Back in May of 2002, when only a couple of dozen churches around the country had started men’s team ministries to their widowed and single parents, I asked Crossroads Church, the church in Northglenn, Colorado that my wife and I had been attending for only a year, if I could start a men’s team ministry to our widowed and single parents.

At the time no larger church like Crossroads had such a ministry, so it was a little iffy. But Pastor Kim Skattum gave me the green light. We started with four teams and sixteen men and now, eighteen years later, we have fifteen teams and seventy men and care receivers involved.

Annette’s team, pictured above, was one of those first four teams. Three of her original team members (Eric, Don, and myself) are still on her team while Matt and Hugh are newer. Annette is a single mom who works as an executive assistant. Hugh is retired, Matt is a CPA, Eric is a pilot for Frontier Airlines, and Don (not in the picture) is a truck driver.

You’ll notice that we have five team members instead of the usual four. The reason is because I head up Faithful Hands (what we call the men’s team ministry at Crossroads) as a volunteer. Having five team members makes it possible for me to skip out from time to time and go visit other teams.

Over the years we’ve come to know Annette, her family, her neighbors, and each other very well. Sometimes the neighbors chip in and help us with things like mowing her lawn and replacing her wooden fence. On our monthly service days, before we start working, we often eat breakfast together, with Annette baking a breakfast casserole, or us bringing breakfast burritos or bagels.

We share each other’s burdens and pray with each other, sometimes in a prayer circle out on the front lawn or driveway. We’ve walked with Annette through trials and tests.

In my workshop on men’s team ministry I talk about “identifying with, committing to, and sacrificing for our care receiver the way Christ has with us” so that we provide “consistent and effective ministry over years and even decades.” That is exactly what our team has done with Annette. The result? We have grown to think of each other as family members.

Serving Annette with my team has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Now I challenge you to follow our example. Someone in your church needs to be shown the love of Christ like this. Will you be the one to get the ball rolling?

This post first appeared in NewCommandment.org.