Five Dysfunctions that can affect your ministry Team.

By John G. Samaan 

We've all had the experience of trying to get something really important accomplished, only to have our efforts fall apart in our hands.  This has the effect of taking the wind out our our sails and causing added frustration in our work.  To help us see where it might come from, let's look at five areas where things can come apart.

1.   Absence of trust:

When team members are reluctant to be vulnerable and to admit their mistakes, weakness, or needs for help, the end result is poor decision making. For ministry leaders, this is particularly important because the mission is so crucial. 

Often times the leader feels that he or she needs to have all the “answers”, but in actuality, the need is to be open and honest enough to allow debate among the team in order for the team to make the best decisions for the ministry.  The leader of the ministry must be the first to demonstrate that trust.

2.  Fear of Conflict

Teams that struggle with trust will avoid conflict and an honest debate.   Team members may also have such a grand mission—“God is leading me or God told me”—that they do not feel comfortable and justified confronting one another and their ideas.  

3.   Lack of Commitment

Without conflict resolution, it is difficult for team members to commit to the same vision, creating an environment where ambiguity prevails.  Effective teams thrive and survive in a committed atmosphere.

4.  Avoidance of Accountability

When teams don’t commit to a clear plan of action, individuals hesitate to call their peers on decisions and behaviors that may seem inefficient and destructive to the ministry and the team.

5.  Inattentiveness to Results

When team members are not held accountable, they naturally tend to put their own needs, ahead of the collective goals and the vision of their team.

Adapted from the best selling book: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. and from Frank Lencioni’s article in Spirituality and Health Nov/Dec. 2006