Leading the Team–Based Church: How Pastors and Church Staffs Can Grow Together into a Powerful Fellowship of Leaders A Leadership Network Publication

Few responsibilities bedevil church leaders like that of managing a church staff. Faced with staff tension, rivalry, and dramatically high turnover rates, leaders often discover that the reality of day–to–day life in the church office bears little resemblance to their preconceptions regarding how a church should operate. Concerned that fallout from conflict might soon seep into a thriving congregation, church leaders begin searching for solutions that will help them revitalize their staff and ultimately invigorate their congregation. Seeking guidance, they look to themselves, and to God, for answers–answers that can be found embedded in the essence of Christian theology.

In Leading the Team–Based Church, George Cladis issues a clarion call for ministry teams to embrace a fresh leadership model that is not based on hierarchy, but on a process of collaboration that mirrors the relationship of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He reminds us that today′s cultural environment–where authority has basis in trust, innovation reaps rewards, and spirituality takes root in life and work–has matured past the need for the hierarchy of traditional church leadership where the pastor had the final say. Through down–to–earth stories from his own experience and those of clergy in both mainline and evangelical churches, Cladis offers an exciting alternative to the traditional forms of church leadership, enabling pastors, congregational leaders, and staff to breathe new life into their ministries and unleash the full potential of the entire ministry team.

Cladis, pastor of a fast–growing mainline congregation, demonstrates how cultural changes affecting all our institutions–not just the church–are making it easier to adopt this new model of leadership. Even the business world, Cladis argues, has created a modern workplace that parallels Trinitarian theology. Is it any secret that the most successful corporations have been built through the creation of dynamic teams that recognize the unique gifts of their employees, cultivate collaboration, mutual respect, empowerment, and are fueled by a common goal? Cladis′s practical advice will enable ministry teams to work together in ways that both embody the Christian message and call forth the full creativity and love of the entire team. Showing how various innovators in organization and business reform are embodying key theological principles in their work, Cladis identifies seven of these principles that can give a spiritual dimension to team formation. He gives church leaders the tools to create empowered and dynamic leadership teams that

Covenant with one another–setting forth loving, honorable ways to show mutual respect
Have vision–acting with purpose, fueled by a divine mission
Collaborate–recognizing the unique gifts of members and valuing each other′s contributions
Create awareness–developing a team that embraces covenant and cause and brings to others the community of God
Build trust–an essential source of healing and ministry
Empower–learning, growing, and becoming all that God calls them to be
Enable each other to learn–both spiritually and practically, helping churches become more effective communities of ministry

From this theological model, ministry teams can derive practical ways to lead effective congregations, build vibrant ministries, and serve as a catalyst for spiritual renewal in today′s world.

Create Dynamic Leadership Teams–Unleash the Full Potential of Your Ministry
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In Leading the Team–Based Church, George Cladis, pastor of a rapidly growing mainline congregation, issues a clarion call to church leaders to embrace a fresh leadership model that calls upon the entire ministry to join together as a vital collaborative team–bringing together faith and organization to effectively serve the Kingdom of God.

"Just when it seems that all that can be said has been said on the subject of ′teams′, just when one has tired of the gumming of the label ′team′ on everything in sight, along comes perhaps the most significant religious book on teams yet published. Cladis juxtaposes the theological and cultural context for team–based ministry in a model presentation of what a conversation between Bible, theology, and culture should look like."
Leonard Sweet, dean, The Theological School and vice president, Drew University

"I really like the way [Cladis] ties the Trinity to teams. His unique approach–explaining the role of teams through the eyes of the Holy Trinity–offers a new way of understanding how teams can function in the church."
Bill Easum, president, 21st Century Strategies, Inc.; and author, Sacred Cows Make Gourmet Burgers

"Books on leadership tend to run off the road into either the ditch of theory–heavy counsel or the ditch of practice–only ideas. George Cladis avoids both. He stays on the road because he has built successful church leadership teams and he has studied church leadership theory. For him, team leadership is the key to a faithful church."
Terry C. Muck, professor of religion, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary

THE BIBLICAL CASE FOR TEAM–BASED MINISTRY: REFLECTING THE GOD WE SERVE.

Learning the Circle Dance of God.

Building on a Receptive Cultural Environment.

THE DANCE OF LEADERSHIP: BUILDING GRACEFUL MINISTRY TEAMS.

The Covenanting Team.

The Visionary Team.

The Culture–Creating Team.

The Collaborative Team.

The Trusting Team.

The Empowering Team.

The Learning Team.

Epilogue: A Word of Encouragement.

Resource: Two Examples of Staff Covenants.

References.

Index.

GEORGE CLADIS is senior pastor and team leader of Noroton Presbyterian Church in Darien, Connecticut. Previously he pastored Covenant Presbyterian Church in Austin, Texas during eleven years of dramatic growth when membership doubled and attAndance tripled.

"Just when it seems that all that can be said has been said on the subject of ′teams′, just when one has tired of the gumming of the label ′team′ on everything in sight, along comes perhaps the most significant religious book on teams yet published. Cladis juxtaposes the theological and cultural context for team–based ministry in a model presentation of what a conversation between Bible, theology, and culture should look like." (Leonard Sweet, dean, The Theological School and vice president, Drew University)

"I really like the way [Cladis] ties the Trinity to teams. His unique approach–explaining the role of teams through the eyes of the Holy Trinity–offers a new way of understanding how teams can function in the church." (Bill Easum, president, 21st Century Strategies, Inc., and author, Sacred Cows Make Gourmet Burgers)

"Books on leadership tend to run off the road into either the ditch of theory–heavy counsel or the ditch of practice–only ideas. George Cladis avoids both. He stays on the road because he has built successful church leadership teams and he has studied church leadership theory. For him, team leadership is the key to a faithful church." (Terry C. Muck, professor of religion, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary)