Tuesdays are for Teams

Happy Tuesday all.

I have been thinking recently about what makes a good team. I mean, not only recently but generally in life, this is something that someone in my position is constantly thinking of. How to motivate, how to be a part of and how to lead a team. As I was thinking of this, I came to a realisation about my favourite teams to be a part of, which I think gave me some insight into what kind of team works best.

Throughout my life in ministry, from before I was even a regular member at church, I have been drawn to a specific ministry – teens. Even when I was a teen, I loved working with teens, at confirmation camps in Finland, to the YF at Hebron, to Legacy and so on. These were not projects that I was paid to be a part of at the time, although later on that would come to pass as well, but it was something that I was willing, and eager to commit to and to be a part of. When I first started working for Hebron, YF and Legacy (our inter-church teens work in Aberdeen) were my outside work hours ministries, and in each case these ministries grew and were fruitful and I really felt the communion of being a part of the team that helped work with these teens, and also, it meant that I got to spend time with some of my best friends and working with an age group that are open, determined, willing to fight for their rights who are learning new concepts and philosophies every day. Dream Team.

When I arrived in Brazil, I fell into one of these ministries, of course, we have recently begun to call ourselves BARCA (Boat, because you know, RIO = River….). What I have been most struck by is that Barca has been growing in the last couple of months, and I really believe it has to do with the a committed and passionate team. We now have young people coming from the community to our Saturday afternoon meetings, wanting to be a part of this group, even though they are mixing with youth from a completely different background from themselves – it reminds me to certain degrees, of the work with Legacy, the idea that we can change the way that people communicate with each other, the way that two different social groups relate to one another, by working closely with them at a pivotal time of growth of their social consciousness, this is world changing stuff – no matter how cheesy that might sound to you.

So why is it, that often it is this teens work, that has shown me the greatest encouragement and growth in my ministries? I believe the answer to this is that, generally speaking, this is the work that I have seen the most passionate team members take part in. The people that I have worked in teens ministry with are usually:

·      Committed – Where you can rely on each member to be there, and not because they have to be, but because they want to be.

·      Flexible – Youth work requires people to take unexpected turns when necessary. Some talks which aren’t going down well, need to be changed at the last minute, games which are going horribly need to be moulded, emotions and interactions need to be directed and co-ordinated at each turn. Teens change their minds a lot.

·      Humble – The teams that I work with have each recognised the great privilege it is to be accepted and loved by the people they work with, and they don’t take it for granted.

·      Compassionate/Understanding – Often it is easy to brush away concerns and what I believe most people would call ‘teen drama’ but the best teams that I have worked with have recognised the need to care holistically for those that they are working with – and this often extends to other team members, which serves to provide a protected environment.

·      Community Loving – I think that one of the most important aspects of people who are called to teens ministry is that they LOVE to hang out together. They enjoy meetings, and enjoy planning, and enjoy just sitting down together for dinner, and staying after the ‘work day’ has ended. They enjoy each others company, and this is key to being a working community.

·      Creative – Although I could go on with this list for a long while, I think creativity is one of the building foundations of a good team. People who are willing to step outside of their regular perspective and consider things from new perspectives. The people I have worked with in teens work have often had this gift, and if they haven’t had the gift they have aimed to develop it, creativity brings adventure as well as balance to teams. Problem solving becomes interesting instead of soul destroying. Creativity is key to good planning.

·      Prayerful – Recognising your position in the world, and that nothing you do is of your own strength, that everything lasting comes from above. As a team, putting this at the centre of your ministry provides the strength required!

I am saying that these skills have often been naturally a part of the Teens work teams that I have been a part of, usually youth work attracts people who naturally have these skills and gifts, but I don’t think that they need to be consigned to this work. If you can try to bring some of these skills into your groups, I believe you could see a great change in the way that people relate to one another, which is usually a precursor to lasting growth and fruitfulness.

P.S. Good planning helps too. But I’m Nordic, so I believe that about all of life.

Tid-bits about life in Brazil: One of the pits of living in Brazil is the constant cleaning. I KNOW, that in Europe we also spend a good amount of time  just making sure that our houses are kept tidy, but I would like for you now to imagine a house, where the windows don’t close (and honestly, I wouldn’t want them closes) fully, and where there is an army of tiny ants that are better than bloodhounds at finding the smallest crumb. Dust and leaves, and pollution gets blown inside throughout the day, and you have to wash every single item of crockery/work top/anything that has come into contact with food particles…this basically means that every morning I sweep and try to wash the floors, and by the evening my feet are still covered in dust. If I leave a plate on the side to wash after I have had a shower (these are not long showers because – water tank) it will be covered in small ants by the time I come back. So, there is today’s little tid-bit, I am constantly cleaning, and I never get to bottom of it. It’s a little like the Golden Gate Bridge, where they start painting at one end, and once they are finished they have to start all over again (I don’t know how true that actually is, but I enjoy the idea).