Teamwork

The fact is, we are never working alone. Whether we do our job in a church or an office, provide family support services at home, or punch someone else's time clock, we are working alongside other people. Granted, God is always with us and goes before us (See Mt. 28:20b; Mk. 16:7). But most of us also find ourselves regularly having to get along with other people, whether we like them all or not.

Okay, so it's not always fun attending those church committee meetings, for example, when some people (even leaders) seem to have their own agenda unrelated to God. But wherever we put our time and energy, there is another reality that is also alive and well -- when people work together as real teams.

Many churches are full of teams that not only get things done, but also shape our identity along the way. The Center for Parish Development¹ defines a "team" as a group where the members work together as a unit, share leadership, have a common purpose, exchange ideas feely, feel valued as persons, and are involved in the group processes on decisions.

So what does this talk about good teamwork have to do with stewardship? A lot. If stewardship is how we receive, manage, use, and share what God has given us, then we are certainly meant to be good stewards of our relationships with one another. We are prompted to ask ourselves, "How do we nurture, deepen and extend our relationships with people on God's behalf, in every aspect of our lives?" This question is as important for our family relationships as it is in church, in our neighborhoods as it is at work, and on a national and international scale.

So how are we doing these days as stewards of our relationships? How could we strengthen our teamwork and draw greater strength from it?

Your partner in ministry,
Betsy Schwarzentraub

¹ The Center for Parish Development is an ecumenical church research and development group, begun by United Methodists, that studies the dynamics of how local churches and other ministries actually work. They use the Likert system of organizational behavior to measure how we make decisions together, how we support one another, choose and carry out tasks, and where we find the energy to make positive change.