Working in teams is one of the core values of Pioneers. When teams function well they can be a very fruitful environment to work in. When the purpose is clear, and all team members pull together, it seems that nothing is impossible to achieve. Sadly, the opposite is also true. Unresolved team conflict has been cited as the primary issue that prevents a worker from continuing in their cross-cultural ministry.

Depending on your assignment your team can function as your family, best friends and church community, all rolled into one. It is unrealistic to expect that team life will always be a dream. However, you can impact the quality of team life by learning to be a good team member, having realistic expectations of both yourself and fellow team members, and possessing the necessary tools to resolve conflicts in a godly way. This will draw heavily on the depth of your self-awareness of who you are, how you behave in different situations and interact with other people.

When used wisely, tools such as personality assessments can help you understand and reflect on how you would normally interact with, and react to, people with differing personalities. Applying this knowledge can help to minimise team conflicts which play a major role in disrupting ministry.

 

Pre-field requirements:

  • Identify how you function in a team setting.
  • Understand how to be a positive team member.
  • Reflect on your responsibilities as a team member.
  • Identification and awareness of your personality type: its strengths and weaknesses and how it impacts your interactions with people of the same and different personality types.
  • Development of interpersonal skills related to working in multicultural teams and in cross cultural ministries.
  • Learn practical strategies for managing conflict.

 

How to fulfil requirements:

    Essential (requirements which must be completed)

    • Attend the Pre-Field Orientation programme.*
    • Complete the “Serving as Team” training at Pre-Field Orientation.*
    • Take part in the Mission Explored “Team Styles” seminar.*

     

    Ongoing development (ways of growing further in this area):
     

    • Take part in personality assessments and psychological profiling.
    • Attend a Sharpening your Interpersonal Skills course.
    • Reflect on the dynamics of your ministry team and how you affect them.
     

    Suggested resources

    Start here – suggested foundational resources

     

    Personality awareness

     

    Interpersonal skills

    • Dealing with People You Can't Stand, Revised and Expanded Third Edition: How to Bring Out the Best in People at Their Worst – Dr. Rick Brinkman & Dr. Rick Kirschner.
    • Team Building: Proven Strategies for Improving Team Performance   – W. Gibb Dyer Jr. et al.
    • Love and War – John Eldredge.
    • The Meaning of Marriage – Timothy Keller.
    • The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable – Patrick M. Lencioni.
    • Everyone Communicates, Few Connect: What the Most Effective People Do Differently – John Maxwell.
    • The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork – John Maxwell.
    • Bridgebuilding: Making peace with conflict in the Church – Alastair McKay
    • Keep Your Love On: Connection, Communication & Boundaries – Danny Silk.
    • Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands: People in Need of Change Helping People in Need of Change – Paul David Tripp.

     

    Leadership

    • Leading with a Limp: Take Full Advantage of Your Most Powerful Weakness    – Dan B. Allenden.
    • 9 Things a Leader Must Do: How to Go to the Next Level – And Take Others With You –Dr. Henry Cloud.
    • A Tale of Three Kings: A study in brokenness – Gene Edwards.
    • Jesus Driven Ministry – Ajith Fernando.
    • Spiritual leadership – J. Oswald Sanders.
    • The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You – John Maxwell.