Being Church - With The Perfect Team

Have you ever considered how important teams, especially successful teams are to life?

I am not just talking about sporting teams.

Think about it for a moment, most of what happens in life requires groups of people, a team, working together to deliver us a product or a service or achieve something.

There is a saying that TEAM stands for– Together everyone achieves more

Nearly all of the major achievements in life, is the result of people working together.

Many people know the name Edmund Hillary. He was the first person to reach the top of Mount Everest. Unfortunately, though many people overlook the fact that Edmund didn’t make this trip alone. There were a considerable number of people that made this trip possible. His Sherpa Tenzing, at one stage of the trip Tenzing saved Edmund’s life and was with Edmund when they reached the top of Mount Everest. The expedition was led by Colonel John Hunt and consisted of a number of other people. Finance for the trip was provided by the Joint Himalayan Committee. Without this team it is unlikely Edmund would have got anywhere near climbing Mount Everest.

The truth is successful teams whether in the workplace, on the sporting filed or in church life are valuable and important. There is something special about successful teams.

Teams that perform well together, especially for a long period of time, have been described as well-oiled machines, running smoothly, efficiently, every part synchronising and doing what it is supposed to do.

And when you analyse the success of a well-oiled team, you soon discover a number of things:

1/ Their success rarely happens overnight. Good Teams need persistence, time and relationships

2/ Their success is not just due to having the competent and good team members, although good team members do help. Their success is the result of a team culture existing, all people who are part of the team working not just for themselves, but each other. And this includes not just those up front who ultimately often get the publicity for any success, but those off the field or in the back room. Top Sporting clubs recognise that for them to be successful they need to have everyone on the same page, not just the players, but the administration, coaching and all support staff and volunteers all working to support success on the field. They need to be working both for the same goals and purposes and with the same plan.

And our Christian life is about being part of a team.

We are all called to be part of God’s team, the body of Christ.

As 1 Corinthians 12 verse 27 says, “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”

And it is important to remember that the leader of our church team is Jesus.

From Colossians chapter 1 verse 18 we hear. “And Jesus is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.”

It therefore should be no surprise that much of the New Testament encourages us to live and work as part of a team.

For instance,

Jesus says, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” From John chapter 13 verse 34 and 35

Therefore, if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Philippians chapter 2 verses 1 and 2.

Think about what being a team means for you as part of our congregation.

The reality is there are various opinions about what is important for us as a congregation.

But ultimately it is about what Jesus wants, which is also what God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit desires which is important.

And there are a few things that help us unpack this

As a congregation who is a member of the Lutheran Church of Australia, what we believe is important to God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is articulated through scripture, and unpacked in our confessions as expressed in the Book of Concord and the document that was put together when the Lutheran Church of Australia was formed, which is called the theses of agreement.

And at a local context following prayer, discussion and study we have also unpacked what we believe is important for God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in Portland and Heywood which is articulated in our Mission and Vision Statements.