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Introduction
The ability to establish and cultivate effective teams should be the goal of every leader no
matter the type of organization. This is especially true for Christian leaders. MacMillan shows
his readers that although building effective teams will not always prove successful, he provides
hope that it is possible to be healthy and effective. He states, “Team leaders must create an
environment that fosters open, clear, accurate communication¾communication that clears the
way for exceptional levels of creativity and that allows the team to efficiently implement its
processes and move quickly against problems and decisions” (MacMillan, 2001). These
characteristics have the potential to revolutionize organizations on every level. This course has
challenged this student to appreciate the importance of building strong characteristics while
fostering team dynamics in leadership and teamwork.
Biblical Examples
While the concept and practice of establishing effective teams are more prevalent in
professional/ secular settings, the Bible has much to say about it as well. According to Temple
(2019), the Old and New Testaments are rife with instances of team’s ministry when people get
together to carry out a mission. He continues by stating that the responsibilities, abilities, and
knowledge of the team members support the ministry's ultimate objective (Temple, pt. 1). The
story of Moses and Aaron team ministry experience is one example of many from the Old
Testament. Here, we read about God’s call and commission of Moses in Exodus 3, where God
tasks Moses with speaking on His behalf to essentially order Pharoah to release the people of
God from their captivity.
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This story is a clear example of working in a team dynamic. Moses is not objective to
obeying God, however, he does provide a series of reasons as to why he may not be a good fit for
the task at hand. In all of Moses’ questioning, God states that Aaron will speak on his behalf.
The Bible records, “The Moses said to the Lord, “Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent,
neither in recently nor in time past, not since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of
speech and slow of tongue” (Ex. 4:10, NASB1995). Moses at this junction is giving God excuses
as to why he cannot fulfill this great task. The Bible goes on to give God’s response to Moses, in
which God becomes angry with Moses, but commissions Aaron to team up with Moses (see vv.
14-17).
According to Matthew Henry’s commentary (2005) on Exodus 4, he writes, “Two are
better than one, Eccl. iv. 9. God will have his two witnesses (Rev. xi. 3), that out of their mouths
every word may be established. (2.) Aaron was the brother of Moses, divine wisdom so ordering
it, that their natural affection one to another might strengthen their union in the joint execution of
their commission.” Chauke (2020) adds, “The participation of others in leadership, takes off the
burden from one person while also building relevant synergies, which result in better work
outcomes” (p. 66).
Group Dynamics
No one team is perfect. You place a group of people from different walks of life together
on a team, with differing ages, and life experiences has the potential to impact a team’s
performance and success. MacMillan (2001) writes, “For most of us, positive team experiences
are rare. If you have been part of an extraordinary team in the past, you will probably long for
that experience again” (2001). This might sound negative on part of the author, but this is
hopeful as he mentions that achieving team success and effectiveness is not impossible. It will
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require work on part of everyone involved. He goes to say, “A key first step to more predictable
and enhanced team performance is understanding the common characteristics of teams that
consistently achieve exceptional results” (2001). The author goes on to list six characteristics that
every team must possess, which are: common purpose, crystal clear roles, accepted leadership,
effective processes, solid relationships, and effective communication. According to MacMillan,
“If one of these six characteristics is missing or inadequate, the team is, at best, limping. If two
or three are lacking, this group is probably not a team at all” (2001).
A team that can adopt and adapt these six traits would become effective and known as a
high-performance team. More importantly, it is worth nothing that effective teams require
leaders to define what a team is. MacMillan breaks down the difference between a team and
teamwork. Many organizations seem confused about the difference between teamwork and teams
(MacMillan, 2001). He goes on to state, “Teamwork is an organizational philosophy or value
system, an occurrence, whereas teams are specific and discrete organizational units” (2001).
Practical Application
This writer has had the pleasure of being challenged and adopting some of these key
principals learned from being a part of this course in daily use. One aspect is trust, as this is
foundational in all relationships, personal or professional. According to MacMillan, “Teamwork
is cooperation at its highest level, and the level of cooperation drives the level of results” (2001).
This requires utilizing the six characteristics, trust being a key factor in the middle. According to
MacMillan (2001), "Trust is the essential quality in any team relationship. Team members will
not work interdependently with anyone they do not trust. And without interdependence there can
be no effective division of the task, no leverage of the gifts and skills of individual team
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members, and therefore, no synergy. No trust, no relationship, no team" (2001). Building trust is
important as it allows team members to work more effectively to reach the goal.
Another key aspect is understanding the pitfalls that can subtly creep in or that may be
clearly visible. Leaders must create and foster an environment where collaborations and
appreciation for one’s giftedness can thrive in a team setting. Leaders set the tone for the culture
they create in teams. MacMillan writes, “We must be clearly aware of the organizational soup in
which the team swims. Although certain organizational cultures are more conducive to team
effort than others, some aspect of every larger organization will challenge team effectiveness to
one degree or another” (2001). While there may be no perfect team void of potential dangers,
there is hope knowing that being a part of an effective team is possible.
Conclusion
One of the greatest takeaways from this course is that teamwork requires characteristics
conducive for the team to grow and be effective in its mission. The characteristics learned
transcend beyond the working professional into the everyday life of an individual. The Bible
reminds believers that no matter the handicaps we possess, God is the one that can empower us
into greatness. Looking back at the life of Moses and his teammate, Aaron, it is a testament not
only to God’s ability, but His Word. He reminded Moses that He was the one who made man’s
mouth (see Ex. 4). Paul writes, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good
works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (Eph. 2:10,
NASB1995).
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Reference
Chauke, W. (2020). Template for leadership: The biblical perspective. Wipf and Stock
Publishers.
Henry, M. (2005). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible. ([Rev. ed].). Christian
Classics Ethereal Library.
MacMillan, Pat. 2001. The performance factor. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman.
New American Standard Bible. (1995). Thomas Nelson. (Original work published 1971).
Temple, T. (2019). CLED 845, Week One, video lecture two: Why team ministry? (part 1).
Liberty Univerity. https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/626672/pages/watch-why-team-
ministry-part-1?module_item_id=70291653
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