Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Team Chemistry

At PCC we do almost everything together. We meet together. We eat together. We play together. We pray together. We work together. And we DO LIFE together.

One key component of a successful ministry team is CHEMISTRY, or AFFINITY, among the team members. By this I mean BEING ABLE TO GET ALONG and ACTUALLY LIKING each other.

I’m talking about ANY type of team – volunteers who work together in a ministry area, small groups, staff, whatever. People have to share a passion for a common cause, must enjoy working together, are able to get along, and genuinely like each other. Without chemistry sparks are sure to fly, bogging the team down in conflict rather than mission.

When we are looking to add someone to a ministry team or leadership role, we are not only looking for a Christ-follower who can do the job – we are looking for someone with WHOM WE WANT TO SHARE LIFE WITH. We want fun people. We want enjoyable people. This person may be a walking storehouse of Biblical knowledge, but if they give off creepy vibes we don’t want them – they are too difficult to work with. We want people who are creative and encouraging. We are looking for positive types; people who love to encourage and bring out the best in us and each other. We are looking for people who are more inclined to show grace than criticism.

When speaking about chemistry I’m saying there has to be a RELATIONAL FIT – not only with the team leader, but with the other members of the team as well. This is the type of person who has a POSITIVE EMOTIONAL EFFECT upon you the moment they walk into the room.

I fully believe in this concept of chemistry. Why? Because so much of my time (except when preparing sermons for Sunday) is spent in a team (group) environment. Nearly every moment of my working day I’m sitting around a table with staff members, volunteer leaders, department heads, volunteer workers, the programming team, tech team, management team, or in a small group. For hundreds of hours each year, I sit in small circles with other people working out kingdom challenges. Spending that much time with people means there BETTER BE a RELATIONAL FIT for me. Otherwise, bad things will happen.

I don’t know how to say this diplomatically, so I’ll just say it straight – If there are two candidates that have equal character and skills, I’ll give the nod to the person whose personality and temperament BLENDS WELL with the other team members and myself.

I admit this without apology. One of the reasons I am having so much fun doing ministry these days is because I am surrounded by people who are NOT A DRAIN on me, rather they edify me. The people at PCC, especially our volunteer teams, are people who have sky-high character, exceptional skills, and a “can do” attitude. They are FUN to be around.

What’s not to like about that?