5 Guiding Principles for Effective Ministry Teams

Written by John Garner

Five Guiding Principles for Ministry Teams

1. Filtering.
Every action must be filtered through the Great Commission, the five functions, and kingdom results. This filtering will ensure that everyone knows the direction and the intention of each ministry team. Mission statements based on these for every ministry team will guide them to be focused on their overall mission.

2. Internal/External focus.
Churches need a balance between teams who serve within the church and teams who minister outside the church. Many churches have an overabundance of internal activities that can turn them inward; this will cut the church off from the needs around them.

Leading from Your Strengths

 Some churches focus so heavily on mission and ministry actions outside the church that their leadership becomes weak and ineffective in the long run. The key is balance. A healthy church will have a good balance between inwardly focused ministry teams and outwardly focused mission and ministry actions teams.

3. Universal involvement.
Every believer is gifted for some responsibility in the ministry of the church. Helping believers find their places of service helps the church and the kingdom. God gives each person gifts, talents, natural abilities, and interests for His glory and for the edification of the the church. Involving each individual enables churches to build the body of Christ and reach out to a dying world.

4.Ministry team integration and training.
All open groups, closed groups, and corporate worship activities are led and impacted by ministry teams. A system of teaching and training is important to prepare new leaders for all the groups within the church. A well-planned ministry team effort will provide support for each ministry area while finding and training new leadership.

5. Commission. 
Each ministry team functions under the authority of the church. Some churches have a very formalized plan for helping ministry teams be effective. Some churches have not thought about an integrated plan for the overall church. Each church should begin to seek ways to empower its members to live out the call of God in their lives in an orderly fashion. Appropriate planning and screening will maximize effectiveness, prevent duplication, and ensure quality control.

Ministry teams have the potential to impact the church and the world, as they involve believers and unbelievers in ministry and missions inside and outside the church.

God has placed the church in the position of carrying the gospel to the world and equipping Christians for service. Ministry teams offer churches intentional tools for ministry action and member multiplication in a way that will build individual Christians and reach out to the world.