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| Credit: Creative Commons (Matt McGee) |
Usually, we don't make a big enough mess that I couldn't clean it up with just a few minutes of quick work. What takes the most time is when I include my kids in the task. Here's the issue: by including my girls in the task of cleaning up, it usually increases the amount of time the clean-up process takes, and it sometimes can decrease the effectiveness of cleaning up.
If you're a parent, you know that the point of asking your preschoolers to help clean isn't because you want a sparkling house. You incude them because there's something bigger going on than just putting things back the way they should go. Including your kids helps them take responsibility for the care of our house and their toys, and it teaches them that when they make a mess, they clean it up. What's more, there are many times when they actually like to help clean up. (Cue the song: "Clean up, clean up, everybody everywhere!")
The same is true in ministry. As a youth pastor, there are plenty of tasks that I could do myself--but that I shouldn't do myself. Why? Because just like when I ask my kids to help me clean up, there's something bigger going on when I ask people to lead with me than having things be just so and running a "sparkling" ministry (if such a thing is possible). Here are some benefits to not doing things yourself and allowing others to serve alongside you in ministry in a meaningful way:
You will have more fun.
If you don't like serving as a part of a team, then being a ministry leader probably isn't for you. When you have a team mentality when it comes to ministry, you will discover that doing ministry as a team is really, really, fun! Some of my favorite memories in youth ministry have come while serving with fantastic volunteers who also had become great friends.
Your team will learn to fail.
When you let others share in your leadership, there will come a day when they will fail. When someone on your team fails, drops the ball, or makes a bonehead mistake, it's easy to think, That's why I should've done it myself! But God can use failure in an incredible way, and your team will grow far more than if you had just done it yourself and done it "right" (whatever that is). If I never let my kids do anything, then they would never learn what it's like to fail, regroup, and try again. The same is true of the people you lead.
They may do it better than you.
I hate to admit it, but even though my girls are five and three, there are already things they do better than their dad. (Bethany can totally rock "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" on the violin, and there's no doubt Samantha is a better artist than me.) There are probably things that people on your team do better than you, and you need to let them do what they're good at. If you're a good leader, your goal shouldn't just be to lead a good team in the here and now; you should also work to see people on your team go on to do what you do--only better.
QUESTION: What are some other benefits of doing ministry as a team?
