Six Characteristics of Effective Sunday School Teams
Ministry teams and Sunday School classes are like automobiles. If we are going to build powerful Sunday School teams, start stalled ones, or fix broken ones, we must become master mechanics - being able to discern when key factors are missing and take the necessary steps to in order to get the team up and running. How can we lead our teams to greater cooperation in order to become powerful teams?
Pat MacMillan and his firm, Team Resources, Inc., have assisted some of the world's largest corporations and ministries in becoming such teams. Here are six characteristics from MacMillan's book, The Performance Factor, every high-performance team should possess:
1. Common Purpose
The single most important ingredient in team success is a clear, common, compelling purpose.
The purpose of a class is not the same thing as the mission statement of your church. A class's purpose is one which supports the church's mission but can also be embraced by every member with clarity and brevity. Whether a purpose has already been defined, or your class works together to create a new one, make sure it is simple enough that members will both know it and rally behind it. A clearly defined and articulated purpose will become mission-directed and will help class members see the direction the class is journeying together.
2. Clear Roles
Powerful Sunday School classes are characterized by crystal-clear roles.
Roles are about how we design, divide, and deploy the work of the class. Leaders should tap into the diverse nature & giftedness of the members of the class. Pair individuals with roles that suit their strengths & weaknesses, and then communicate their role clearly to them. Make sure they understand what their responsibilities are.
3. Accepted Leadership
Powerful Sunday School classes also need clear, competent, Christ-centered leadership. When that leadership is lacking, the class eventually will lose its way and stray off course.
Classes are, in the very truest sense, led by volunteers. Expectations of lay leadership need not be set low, however. The bar should be raised so that volunteers know they are being called to a higher level of leadership.
4. Effective Processes
Powerful classes/teams and effective processes go hand-in-hand.
Good teams will constantly evaluate how they are doing things by asking such questions as:
- How are we doing?
- What are we learning?
- How can we do things better?
- What are our strengths?
- What are our weaknesses?
Effective processes allow our classes to stay focused on the task and the end results.
5. Solid Relationships
One of the biggest misconceptions in the world of ministry teams and teamwork is the belief that to work and communicate effectively, team members must be close comrades. Not true! In fact, the diversity of skill, giftedness, experience, and knowledge of class members often prevents intimate levels of friendships, which are usually based on common interests.
Rather, diversity is the key ingredient in the success of any class. As a matter of fact, the more different a class is, the "smarter" it can be. While it is true that diversity can provide plenty of opportunity for discord, conflict, and communication breakdowns, trust, acceptance, respect, courtesy, and a generous helping of Christlike understanding must offset these challenges.
6. Excellent Communication
Good communication is at the heart of cooperation. A Sunday School class cannot move faster than it communicates. Fast, clear, accurate, and timely communication is the hallmark of growing, healthy ministry teams.
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