It got me thinking of the task of assembling teams for ministry and work. How do you identify good team members, and how do you prepare them for success?

John Maxwell in his Maxwell Leadership Bible looks at the team that Jesus assembled to be his disciples. Tax collectors, fishermen, those who were unloved and showed little promise from a human perspective. Yet the “team” Jesus identified and taught became the team that shook the world!

From the account in The Gospel of Mark, Maxwell points to examples of this group the Lord called, and posed some questions based on his observations.

  • What positive qualities exist that may be seen as negative behavior? (I think of Peter, who said things and did things without thinking them through.)
  • Do the individuals show initiative, even if it has been misdirected?
  • Would these people add positive chemistry and unique value if placed on the team?
  • Are they hungry to become more than something they are now? (“You are fishing for fish. I’ll teach you how to fish for men.”)
  • Do they demonstrate passion that could be redirected [toward God’s goals]?
  • Could they play a needed role on the team?

I’m sure there are other qualities and traits that can and should be considered. However, these speak to the issue of identifying things in a person that, if channeled in the right way, can lead to a strong team and can accomplishes great things. Yes, Jesus had a lot of teaching and training to do with the rough men he chose. However, He was willing to invest years in the lives of His team members…His disciples…so that they might ultimately be a powerful force even after Jesus was gone.

As I have watched the Dallas Baptist Patriot baseball team have winning seasons year after year, I have thought about the recruiting of new team members. Many of them were overlooked by much larger schools with big budgets. Yet these players have shown that with encouragement and an investment in training and development, overlooked athletes can become elite team members and achieve great success.

Final note from the baseball analogy: DBU baseball coach Dan Heefner tells his team to get one percent better each day. That seems to be a small, highly accomplishable thing. One percent better each day.

What if your team got one percent better in using media to share God’s Hope with those they serve? What could be accomplished in your ministry with your team…for the sake of the Gospel?