I am blessed at Resurrection Lutheran Church to work with a great team. Yesterday we had a day-away planning session to look towards the coming year. The room was a buzz of ideas, reflections and possibilities. We laughed, prayed, ate and celebrated. What a joy to serve with such people as Betsy, Hannah, Sue, Sarah, Brad and Larry.

Team ministry has always been part of the church. Jesus chose twelve disciples to share in his ministry. In the early church, Paul worked with Barnabas on their first missionary journey through Asia Minor. Then Paul and Barnabas split and Paul worked with Silas and Timothy. They shared in the struggles and victories together.

To be a good team, there needs to be not only shared vision but also a deep trust in one another. We need to disagree and argue for the sake of the mission without hurting each other’s feelings. This can be challenging for some of us who think conflict means “you don’t like me.”  Jesus challenged his disciples, yet loved them deeply. It is in the wrestling with ideas and priorities that we discover how God is at work and that we truly can trust and love each other.  As Patrick Lencioni says in his book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, “Trust is knowing that when a team member does push you, they’re doing it because they care about the team.”

I am so thankful for a staff that can challenge and improve my ministry; I pray that I can do the same for our team. We all want Resurrection Lutheran to be the best congregation possible, by becoming what God called us to be. And together the whole congregation can rise to meet the challenges and opportunities we face.

Lord Jesus, challenge us to become what you created us to be.