Before we begin to build teams, we need to have a vision for the work that we intend to accomplish.  A vision is a picture of a preferred future.  Remember Nehemiah?  God gave him a clear vision to rebuild the city of Jerusalem.  He not only pictured it in his mind, he figured out what it was going to take to accomplish the vision and then gathered the means and the people to do it.  He knew from the start that he did not have the ability to accomplish his vision alone.  A vision is more than a good idea, it is something we feel called or compelled to do.  It is larger than we can accomplish on our own.  Once people understand the big picture, a team can work out the specific aims and objectives that will bring us to the vision.  In fact, participating in the process of working out the specific strategy will give everyone a sense of ownership in the vision.

What is it about vision that is so powerful and so closely linked to building teams for ministry?  A close study of Nehemiah reveals much about the nature of vision and it’s affect on others.  Many books have been written about lessons on leadership through the story of Nehemiah.  A few key points that are relevant to team building are…

There is something about the challenge of a compelling vision that draws those with leadership and servant gifts to it.  Perhaps they recognize the need for their gifts and can see where they fit in.  It may be the excitement of being part of something bigger than them that draws leaders.  A compelling vision eliminates the need to beg for volunteers.  Rather, we take time to share the vision with as many people as possible.  Share the vision with church or organizational leaders, with parents, school officials (as appropriate), people in the community, etc.  Share it verbally, presented in large and small settings, one to one, and written in newsletters and so forth.  The more people who hear and understand the vision, the more leaders and support we will attract.  Even those who will not get directly involved, if they are excited about the vision, will want to help support it in some way.  We still want to target those who we want to have on our teams and need to personally approach them with the vision, share it and extend the invite.

When people see and understand the big picture, they are drawn together.  A common purpose or set of aims brings people together because we know why we are doing this work, who we are doing it for, and where we are going.  As we brainstorm ideas for programmes and methods for reaching out, we begin to measure everything against our vision.  No longer do groups have such a wide divergence of ideas that could lead the ministry in very different directions.  Ideas are filtered through the vision and those which do not work toward the aims are not pursued.  This is not to say we don’t have the challenge of working out our different viewpoints.  It simply becomes the task of the vision to determine the outcome rather than our individual perspectives.

There is nothing we could want more than to leave a legacy.  Where a strong vision exists, each new youth worker will be able to build on the old vision and take it to the next level rather than start from scratch.  The reason that this proves true is that people become committed to a compelling vision more than they are committed to the leadership of one individual.  Such commitment takes time to develop and as young people’s lives are changed through the ministry, their desire is to lead others through the same process.  A wise youth worker once said to me “what you win people with, you win them to”.  A strong vision can outlive a youth worker and be sustained through changes in leadership as long as there remains a core of people committed to that vision.

Building teams is essential to all youth work.   Whether you are based in a church or parachurch organization, teams are the way to grow ministries and impact lives.   Building these teams is the challenge that we must face.  It requires us to learn how to be team leaders.  The amazing ingredient that many miss out is the power of vision.  Once we have a clearly articulated vision, the challenge becomes learning to work with the teams that we build.  Why not let vision do the work for you to recruit and empower leaders?  It is time to build ministries that will outlast our tenure.  It is time to share the ministry that God has entrusted to us.  It will not be easy but the results will be life changing!