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Staff | Resources | Leaders Are Learners

You are a leader - an influencer for the Kingdom, don't ever forget that! As a part of our team in CSM, we want you to develop as a leader. Leaders don't just study and then kick back and cruise... true leaders are always "in progress". Thanks for being on our team - you're a vital player! Students need you! We need you! This resource takes aim at you and I in developing our leadership as it pertains to our lives and ministry with students...because leader's are learner's!

sept '03 - "dreams take a team"

Team Training

in order to have a healthy ministry, students need to see their adult volunteers work together and act as a team... when students see adults that are committed to the team and to one another, students will see a living, breathing example of the 'body' of Christ. Jesus made it very clear that our commitment to one another is a witness to the world. (john 13:34-35) that verse is a great example of team work, a team that is held together and moving together in love.

maybe you've heard coaches say things like, "there is no 'I' in team"
team is spelled T. E. A. M. and it stands for:

T ogether
E veryone
A chieves
M ore

youth ministry is not done in isolation, or accomplished by solely one player - or MVP, it is done as a TEAM. everyone plays their part, so that the team can make progress toward their dream. youth ministry works best when leaders like yourself express your gifts and passions in the context of a team. your personal health and teamwork approach can make a significant contribution to the long-term health of the youth ministry team. in fact, when we play as a team - everyone achieves more!

one of the indicators of a dynamic and healthy ministry is the undercurrent culture of teamwork. when it's there, everything works well; but when the intangibles of teamwork are absent, it is obvious and disastrous.

the reality is that DREAMS take a TEAM! being a team player means making some specific commitments. Here are a couple commitments you can make to help us be a dynamic TEAM.

1st: a team player commits to the vision and goals of the team

it takes our commitment to a single purpose, a goal that is bigger than us, a God-sized dream, if you will, to unify a team.

i want to encourage us to internalize the dream and commit to it as part of seeing our community having aloneness needs met, finding healing and taking steps in our journey with the Real God. the more we all internalize this dream and not just let it be something we know, but rather, something we become - it will intertwine into our cultural DNA. teams have goals (dreams) that help bring focus. distraction is everywhere...but successful teams build a culture of focus around their dreams.

we are committed to "the dream" - the kind of community the Lord is leading us in becoming...

Love God and Love people:

connecting students to a community that
removes aloneness, helps them experience healing and
encourages them in their journey with the Real God.

commit to the dream! know it! experience it! live it! model it! be it!

2nd: team players commit to developing their individual skills and talents.

a team is a collection of players, all doing their role, so that the team wins. each role is needed - they're interdependent and crucial to the achievements of the team. each player commits to improving in their role on the team.

that's why we started this resource - to be a place of continued growing and sharpening of your skills. strong players, fulfilling their roles make winning teams.

God is our coach who happens to draft us together as players on His team.
•don't get caught up in comparing yourself with other youth workers on the team. be you!

2 corinthians 12 (msg) read closely:

" 14 I want you to think about how all this makes you more significant, not less. A body isn't just a single part blown up into something huge. It's all the different-but-similar parts arranged and functioning together.

25 The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part, the parts we mention and the parts we don't, 26 the parts we see and the parts we don't. If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing. If one part flourishes, every other part enters into the exuberance. 27 You are Christ's body--that's who you are! You must never forget this. Only as you accept your part of that body does your 'part' mean anything."

when you make a commitment to strengthen yourself, when you improve as a youth worker, you improve the health of our ministry. that's why this training is called leaders are learners, because when you stop learning, you stop leading.

here are some signs that you're improving as a team player:

• staying flexible, but focused
• relaxed & positive attitudes
• ability to laugh off mistakes
• sit with students
• speak positively in front of students about situations
• ask point people, "can I do anything?" (attitude of servanthood)
• affirm others on the team - often
• take initiative
• develop parent relationships - connections with families
• become a student - never stop learning!

we've launched out as a team to build a dream with God's power and leading. together, we can begin to taste more and more of that dream becoming a reality!

dreams take a t-e-a-m!

T ogether
E veryone
A chieves
M ore

teamwork isn't easy! it isn't easy in the sports arena, it isn't easy in the corporate world and it isn't easy within the church. it takes work on everyone's part, but the result will be a healthy ministry. the result will be changed lives and God will get the glory from the living example of love that flows from our team! it's fun to play on a winning team!

Making It Personal

(take 5 minutes to consider)

• are there any issues that are hindering you from being a team player? (i.e.: pride, unforgiveness, bitterness, hurt)

• is there any unresolved tension between you and other team members that need to be reconciled?

• Is there any skill you'd like to work on developing this year? (how can you do that - how can we help you accomplish that training?)

• commit to memorizing our "dream" - go ahead and practice now:)

• live an open life: live so we as team members can help meet each other's aloneness... together experience some healing and wholeness and encourage one another along in our spiritual journeys.

Shout Out

Email Jack one theory/tip/thought that stuck out to you...

jack@casaschurch.org

click here to see Leaders are Learners archive