We live in a world that is dominated by the ubiquitous focus of self:
My happiness. My independence. My success. And yet what God calls us to is selflessness and interdependence through teamwork.
Our bodies are wonderful creations. Our heart pumps and we don’t think about it, our lungs breathe without thought, and when you pick up something, all the parts do what they are supposed to do—each of them playing a different role, but all working together.
Our bodies work together in an awe-inspiring way. Quite literally, our bodies are the embodiment of teamwork.
It takes all parts of the team working together to keep the body doing what it is designed to do.
In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul compares all believers everywhere to a body. He beautifully describes for us the idea that God expects His children to work together—teamwork—for His glory and our good.
Indigenous Ministries is committed to teamwork. Here are five reasons joining an Indigenous Ministries team is better than “going solo.”
Benefit 1: Teamwork Creates Synergy
For thousands of years, humans have used draft horses to pull incredible weight and for good reason. One draft horse can pull 8,000 pounds—that’s more than two SUVs.
It makes you wonder though… how much weight could two draft horses pull? If you answered 16,000 pounds, your grade school math teacher would be proud, however, math doesn’t account for synergy. Despite the laws of mathematics, the correct answer is a whopping 24,000 pounds! That’s the power of synergy.
Working on a team taps into that same principle—the sum is greater than its parts.
Benefit 2: Teamwork Increases Points of Contact
When you are involved in ministry through a team, you are able to benefit from the natural connections that people make with others.
Singles connect with singles, married couples with married couples, young families with young families.
The team approach to ministry allows us to connect with a larger audience than serving alone ever would.
Benefit 3: Teamwork Increases the Vitality of Each Worker’s Ministry
Have you ever met someone who is mechanically challenged? (Perhaps you are that person!) There’s always that one guy who wouldn’t know a transmission from a gas tank.
His lack of mechanical prowess isn’t as big of a deal when he serves on a team because his shortcomings are covered by other team members who are gifted in areas that he is not.
When a team shares responsibilities, each member can focus on their area of strength, and minimize the risk of burnout.
Benefit 4: Teamwork Increases the Longevity of the Ministry
We all want to see the fruit of our ministry thriving through future generations.
The team approach to ministry helps to ensure this by taking the focus off of any one person.
When on a team, each family or worker can take much needed time away to recharge, and the ministry doesn’t stop—it is carried on by the rest of the team.
Benefit 5: Teamwork Reduces the Financial Costs
There are many expenses that occur in the course of seeing thriving churches established. One such expense is the cost of consultants.
- Church Planting Consultants
- Lesson Development Consultants
- Culture and Language Consultants
Who pays for the invaluable cost of a consultant? For some communities, it can easily cost $3,000 in airfare alone.
When serving on a team, the entire team is able to share these costs. Splitting costs helps insure that each team member is getting the consultant help they need.
You are a part of us in the same way that we are a part of you. We’ve been grafted into the Body of Christ. As believers we are all on the same team.
God has equipped you and gifted you to function as a member of His body.
We need you!
Your uniqueness is just as important to the Body of Christ as your heart is to your own body. From the jungles of South America to the plains of Africa, from the mountains of Asia to the tundra of Arctic Canada, each and every believer has a critical role to play. We are: one body, one team, one goal.
“Go therefore and make disciples of every nation [ethnos]” —Jesus
How does God want to use your unique experience, skills, strengths, and time to make disciples of all ethnos?
There’s a place and a function for you in God’s global plan to rescue the world from sin and death. From Genesis to Revelation that plan is laid out.
Scripture is clear: God wants to use us collectively—His body, to accomplish His work. We have an incredible opportunity to be a part of what God is doing!
Learn how God can use your uniqueness to help establish thriving churches among the Indigenous peoples in Northern Canada.
