How Jesus Formed His Team
Jesus called out certain individuals to build his team. He also had a smaller team within his larger team (Peter, James, and John were singled out for at least three specific events with Jesus—see Luke 8:51, 9:28-36, & Mark 14:33—and each of them went on to hold significant leadership positions in the early church).
At times Jesus sent his disciples out in teams of two (Luke 10). Groups of teams often form an organization. Some teams may only be workgroups that come together for a specific time for a specific task or purpose.
Our definition at the Reverb Network
for TEAM
: A group of accountable
individuals who
leverage and discipline their unique strengths to fulfill a common mission by accomplishing specific goals.
So how did Jesus form his team of disciples? We discover some answers to this question by looking at key words/phrases in the following passage.
“Jesus went up
on a mountainside and called
to him those he wanted
, and they came
to him. He appointed
twelve that they might be with him
and that he might send
them out to preach
and to have authority
to drive out
demons.” (Mark 3:13-15)
As a team leader, Jesus went up
to get perspective. He prayed and evaluated before choosing who should join his team (see also Luke 6:12-13). Team leaders call
those who are uniquely fitted for the task or mission they want
to accomplish. Team members should not be forced but invited to join; note that the disciples came
to Jesus, an implication of choice. Team leaders get the right people on the team and appoint
them to certain tasks according to their skill sets or strengths. Team leaders work beside/ with
their people to help them become productive through training, modeling, and coaching. After observing the team leader, team members can reproduce ( send/preach/drive out
) together at a greater rate (see John 14:12). Finally, team leaders empower members by sharing their authority
as the team matures.
[Next week’s post will focus on the serving leadership journey and a review of the serving leadership framework in light of teamwork.]
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