Teams are a crucial part of the vitality and flourishing of congregational ministry and church leadership. The title of John Donne’s famous poem, “No Man is an Island,” is almost a cliché at this point, but it is true. Very little of what we want to see happen is possible without having the right team in place. Although the extraordinary efforts of individuals produce eye-catching headlines, there’s often a team in the background supporting, training and encouraging the individual to accomplish great things.
So, given what we know about the value of teams, what is it that makes a team work well? How do teams thrive? Whether they are comprised of volunteer disciples serving on a board or paid staff working in full-time ministry positions, all teams have at least one characteristic in common: teams cultivate trust.
Trust is nonnegotiable. Teams are great for solving problems and generating creative ideas. Teams provide systems of support for everyone involved. However, teams only thrive when they invest the time and energy that’s necessary to build trust.
One definition of trust is “the firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability or strength of someone or something.” When we practice these traits consistently, other members of the team know they can expect certain behaviors. When members of the team practice these traits inconsistently, we feel less confident about what will happen from day to day.
Ron Friedman highlights key strategies for building trust in an article about high-performing teams. Friedman points out that trust happens when teams decide not to leave collaboration to chance. They share credit, maintain open lines of communication, see disagreement as a path to improvement and proactively address tension. If what Friedman discovered resonates with you, what can your team do to intentionally build trust?
