Developing teams is a strangely counter-intuitive process. We want to make leadership easy and achievable so we focus on the fundamental needs of the ministry and compromise on the rest. It might not be ideal but it is realistic and sustainable.

Youth ministry is a good example; we are thankful that our leaders are willing to commit to coming each Friday night and to avoid burning them out we compromise on meeting regularly and training or just spending time together. Unfortunately the same leaders who thank you for setting the bar low often feel the ministry lacks direction, energy and focus, and often don’t see the fruit of their labour. In the end they don’t burn out they just give up.

From my own experiences of failure, and some success, I find the opposite is true. Set the bar high; convince people of the vision, equip them for the task, and lead from beside them. I think you will find leaders go harder, morale is higher and they last in leadership longer. A team that has good morale which is grounded in Christ will love doing what they do, and they will do it for a long time because they feel purposeful, supported and valued. And as we support them they will support us.

Usually when I talk about this people tell me why their situation is the exception. Absolutely there are exceptions and there are time when you will need to think creatively about solutions and even compromise. But we cannot use these exceptions to highjack the principle. Set the bar high.

If we are too busy to develop our teams then we have lost something fundamental to good leadership. Look at Jesus and how he shared his life with the disciples – he only had three years and there were thousands of people who wanted to listen to his teaching and be healed. But where did he spend his time? More than anything else with the twelve disciples.

Here are six ideas for setting the bar high.

Choose the right people. It seems obvious but when you are desperate the temptation is to compromise. (1) Godly (2) Willing to serve (3) Gifted for the task.

Set a clear vision for the ministry. Under God tell people where you are going and why. Convince your leaders why this is the best vision for serving our master using the gifts and talents that God has given us. 

Have clear expectations. When you invite people to lead be clear about what is involved, what is expected and what they should expect from you.

Meet regularly. Develop a culture of sharing ideas and owning the ministry together.

Build morale. Love your team as a group of people and not just functionaries for a task. Call them, pray for them, and spend some gratuitous time with them.

Train your team. You can do it by helping them prepare, by giving constructive feedback or by having a training day. Good training should equip and inspire them to serve. Easy said.