What is a team? And what is a community?
To put it in as simple terms as I can, a team is a group formed around a task and a community is a group committed to life together as the people of God. In our World Team Global network, we can easily confuse these two, mixing them so closely that they create misunderstanding and ministry stagnation.
Much of the confusion arises from false expectations that we may each bring to a team or a community.
One false expectation is that one’s team will automatically be his/her community. This may or may not be the case. One’s community might be best found outside of one’s team. It’s a discussion we should not shy away from; one that would probably help our teams process and discern what community would look like for each member. It would give us insight as to what kind of community would serve to best enhance each one’s ministry growth.
However, when one ‘demands’ that his/her team be the needed community, and when that ‘need’ is not met by the team, a good deal of heartburn can occur; frustration that derails a team from its primary mission.
A second false expectation is that we will only find true community with people from one’s same culture. As cross cultural workers, we have chosen, following God’s call, to ‘adopt’ another people and culture. Yes, it’s not easy to make the transition. And yes, it’s not easy to worship and to ‘live in community’ in another language that is not one’s own heart language. However, the richness of His grace is so much sweeter when one enters into and engages in community across another culture. One’s heart can learn to worship in another heart language.
A final false expectation is that team and community are places where we will ‘feel good’ all the time; it will be like a ‘family’. Both team and community, according to the Scriptures, call for robust and honest dialogue and can at times pass by moments of tension. However, a good team and a good community know how to work through conflict and tension; just as a good family does.
Filed under: Community, Expectations, Teams |
Thoughts Along The Journey 
Several times now I have witnessed where some on a TEAM automatically think that COMMUNITY must flow out of that. When it’s sort of been mandated to happen, then it just doesn’t seem to happen. But when that hasn’t been forced, it has occurred to the envy of others. Therefore, trying too hard at making community happen could be one of the source problems.
Very true Trevor. Perhaps, as you say, another false expectation that we bring to the table.
Well written and very useful! Thank you, David.
Candid discussion around this topic seems apropos especially when new people are joining WT ministry teams. Expectations can be clarified, especially for newbies, BUT existing team members can be reminded that new ones might need more community (from them) early on…OR some help in building community cross-culturally.
I wonder if it’s not a ‘learning’ experience in both directions. More ‘seasoned’ workers may not see the need for community as much as ‘newbies’ or younger workers might. However, the issue lies on both sides. Seasoned workers may need to realize more and more the benefit community brings to their own spiritual nourishment and growth in grace. And younger workers may need to ask questions about their expectations in commmunity that would help them (and others) better define what biblical community could look like for them where they are ministering. It’s a growth opportunity for all.
This topic deeply resonates with me because of the pain and disillusionment experienced by the Sicily Team forty years ago. We tried to live by two flawed ideals: 1—to plant the church, you have to be the church, 2—all decisions must be unanimous consensus. The team became the center of the church plant and hindered locals from development. Individual team members used the phrase, “I have a check in my spirit” to veto decisions they didn’t like.
We became dysfunctional both as a team and as a community. I appreciate your simple clarification of team and community. I wish someone could have helped us in Sicily clarify our expectations before we disintegrated.
Thanks Albert for sharing this painful memory. There’s a balance that must be struck when a ‘team’ establishes a church. The team certainly needs to display the elements of what it means to be a community, but from the very start we are inviting others into that community. So, a team that tries to be the church themselves can sometimes shut out the very people they are wanting to bring into that community. And those who come into the community may be people you as a worker might find community with. It’s kind of a both/and when we talk about the role of the team in establishing the church. We easily fall to one side or the other. Thanks for your insights.
I really really appreciate your first point – that your team doesn’t have to be your community. My experience has also been very painful and growth stunting when I was forced to try and make my team my community as well. Thanks again for the open sharing Albert.
Relationships were badly damaged and almost lost completely. That this happened to me within a Church context made it that much more confusing and painful. So; Yea! for your Biblical and healthy view on this point! It is so very vital that we have balance in this as you pointed out.
Thanks Gwen! The problem is compounded when we are a church planting ‘team’ working to establish a ‘church’. So where do we find our community? That’s the question we have to struggle with.