The Power of Team Leadership: Achieving Success through Shared Responsibility

The Power of Team Leadership: Achieving Success through Shared Responsibility. By George Barna. Colorado Springs: Waterbrook, 2001. vi and 216 pages. $19.95.

The Rev. Dr. George Barna, author of more than thirty-five books, is president and founder of the Barna Research Group. Ltd., whose primary goal is to be a "Christian catalyst for spiritual transformation in the United States." This book was previously released as Building Effective Lay Team Leadership.

Barna states that "during the past two decades there has been a continual decline in the satisfaction with leadership in churches" which often is attributed to either a general malaise about the minimal impact of leaders on systems or the failure of the system to adequately identify ortrainthe mostqualified leaders (p. 4-7). Barna attributes this decline to an inherent flaw in the system itself. He posits that quality leadership does not lie in unearthing more superhero leaders; rather, leadership is best served when "it is provided by teams of gifted leaders serving together in pursuit of a clear and compelling vision ... whose results almost always transcend what any individual from that team could have produced alone" (p. 8-11).

What is a leadership team? A leadership team is "a small group of leaders who possess complementary gifts and skills" (p. 24). This group of four to six people, each of whom possesses calling, character, and competencies, needs to be committed to the vision, growth, and success of the ministry. They do not need to be friends, but they do need to be committed to one another's personal growth and maturation as well as to mutual and collective accountability. Barna's research shows that these leadership teams are essential in both large and small churches so that members do not become mere ministry consumers. He uses the biblical example of Moses to remind us that individual leadership can take the group only as far as the individual's capacities.

The third chapter, "Vision without leadership," makes the familiar case for the development of the unique and significant vision for each ministry site that both states the ministry's primary mission and demonstrates how each program and team fits with in it.

Barna goes on to state that in spite of the compelling research supporting the effectiveness of leadership teams, most churches persist in solo leadership. The research includes the desire for simplicity and the need for control and tradition among the ten most common reasons for this paralysis. He counters these with the ten reasons churches should use team leadership such as less stress, the priesthood of all believers, and biblical endorsement.

What would be included in the toolbox of an effective team ministry leader? In a non-exhaustive list Barna declares that research says the most important competencies needed in team members include the ability to identify and articulate a vision, to coach and develop other leaders, to motivate others, and to resolve conflict, as well as to mobilize others and model Christian commitment and character. This toolbox needs to be present in the team, not one individual. Each team also needs at least one person with an aptitude for directing or visioning, strategic planning, team building, or operational competencies. The four "best practices" of these teams are: creating a viable leadership partnership that includes signing a leadership covenant, developing a culture that supports lay leadership teams, enabling high performance by sharing responsibility, tasking risks and developing a narrow focus, and equipping teams by providing continuous, ongoing, hands-on training. Also, each leadership team needs a captain who can keep the team focused on the vision, facilitate relationships among members, acquire resources, and demonstrate productivity.

"The transition to lay leadership teams will tax the patience, resources and the will of [any] church" (p. 153). The pastor is the key to a successful transition. The pastor's leadership is essential to change a church's culture. He or she needs to offer a high degree of predictability and consistency to this process along with the ability to handle any unrealistic or harmful expectations that develop. The pastor also needs to give input to the allocation of congregational resources and lead the communication process. This will help to avoid some of the land mines that can derail this transformation. Common land mines include demanding too much too soon, giving teams more than one mandate, teams "hoarding" resources for their part of the ministry, and confusing work groups (teams of gifted lay people serving under the direction of a gifted leader) with lay-leadership teams (teams of leaders working together).

Barna closes this work with one series of questions about whether an individual can serve better as a solo leader or in a team leadership model and another series of questions about the ministry's readiness for making the transformational move to lay team leadership.