4 Ways to Relate to Your Ministry Team

Written by Jimmy Draper

The pastor is the leader of the ministry team, but he needs to give the ministry team members credit for what they do.

Here are four ways to do that:

1. Brag on them and recognize their dedication
I liked to brag on my staff. When somebody did something, I told everybody.

• I bragged on the staff members in front of them and the whole church.
• I would bring them out on the platform and let everybody affirm them with cheers and applause.

2. Be their friend
The pastor ought to be friends with his staff more than be their boss. That may be an oversimplification because I think the pastor has to be responsible. He is the one everybody is accountable to, but he needs to build a good friendship with his staff. If he doesn’t, they’ll be strangers when they meet on the platform or for prayer on Sunday morning. Maintaining good friendships is his responsibility.

3. Allow them to tell him how they feel
If the pastor does a good job, he’ll surround himself with people who’ll tell him the truth.

One of my favorite stories is about my educational director the last 10 years I was in Euless. Dan was a military guy, saved watching a Billy Graham Crusade while he was a pilot stationed in Beeville, Texas. He was the kind of guy who would just tell you the truth. One day he came into my office and said, “You’re not very supportive of your staff.” I was surprised; I thought I was. He gave me an illustration, and I guess he was right.

The point is that my relationship with him was such that he could tell me that. I didn’t get mad at him; I was grateful. If a pastor doesn’t have a healthy relationship with his staff, then he’s going to get mad every time they tell him anything. And as a result, they will become yes-men, and staff situations will always be tense.

4. Minister to them
A pastor needs to minister to his staff. Otherwise, they don’t have a pastor.

Dr. Criswell had a beautiful way of saying it. He said, “I can’t put my arms around everybody, but I can put my arms around my staff, and they can put their arms around those who work with them until everybody has somebody’s arms around them.”

Such a caring community starts with the pastor and his relationship with his staff.

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