Paradigm 19: Leading through team resonance
Here Edmund Chan speaks about how effective teams are formed. He says, "selection is the key". Team members must be wisely and intentionally selected to accomplish tasks.
He speaks about five 'C's:
1. Calling to a particular ministry with accompanying conviction that leads to long-term commitment.
2. Character is a non-negotiable requirement - wholeness and basic commitment to integrity are paramount.
3. Competence can be reduced if there is mismatch of gifts and role. Abilities must match the role given, or we risk mediocrity.
4. Chemistry between team members should be optimized at the point of selection rather than after the group is formed. We should aim for unity in diversity.
5. Capacity is the inner strength and reserves that allows a person to function effectively even when under pressure. This can be developed.
A. Let's consider how well Jesus met these selection criteria when he chose his disciples!
13 Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. 14 He appointed twelve[a] that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach 15 and to have authority to drive out demons. 16 These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter), 17 James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder”), 18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot 19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. (Mk 3:13-19)
12 One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. 13 When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles: 14 Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, 15 Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, 16 Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. (Lk 5:12-15).
For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. (Jn 6:64)
Here we see Jesus using His perfect insight into the hearts of men to choose someone who would have the capacity to betray him after 3 years of shared life together. Not the 'right' person by the 5Cs, but the right person in the plan of God.
B. We can also consider how Paul and his companions were selected to go on their missionary journeys....
1 Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off. (Ac 13:1-3)
36 Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.” 37 Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, 38 but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. 39 They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, 40 but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord. 41 He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches. (Ac 15:36-41)
This second passage is so illuminating, because it shows how 2 mature Christians can differ drastically in the selection of a teammate. In hindsight, knowing what Paul wrote about Mark in 2 Ti 4:11b, we can say that Barnabas was right about Mark, and Paul was wrong. And yet at the point of the selection, it would have been impossible to know the best way forward. Paul's criteria were more like Edmund Chan's 5Cs, but Barnabas, the 'son of encouragement', looked beyond the present to Mark's future potential.
C. And we consider how the first deacons were chosen...
In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews[a] among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3 Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”
5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. (Ac 6:1-5)
These were Greek-speakers (all Greek names) to address the concerns and grievances of the Greek-speaking community. So these seven were chosen for race as well as character.
D. ...as well as a replacement apostle
Here the practice of casting of lots is not condemned, but neither is it to be a standard practice in the light that the Spirit had not yet come in fullness at Pentecost to guide the apostles.
So - not a lot of intentional selection based on the above 5 criteria! Mainly prayer, worship and the guidance of the Spirit.. It seems that the really important criteria is that the one(s) making the selection should be devoted and close to the Lord.
My thought is that the 5Cs are not necessarily present in everyone we might select. Each individual has his or own path of growth. Every team member's ;life in Christ intersects with the life of other team members and other individuals, making the situation a dynamic one. So we must look at potential instead of only seeking fully-formed qualities.
My other thought is that all of us must strive to be the kind of person that would be a sought-after asset to teams. We should know our calling and gifting, be men and women who do the right thing whether or not others are looking, and appreciate the difficult, sorrowful experiences of life that deepen our character in the Lord.
He speaks about five 'C's:
1. Calling to a particular ministry with accompanying conviction that leads to long-term commitment.
2. Character is a non-negotiable requirement - wholeness and basic commitment to integrity are paramount.
3. Competence can be reduced if there is mismatch of gifts and role. Abilities must match the role given, or we risk mediocrity.
4. Chemistry between team members should be optimized at the point of selection rather than after the group is formed. We should aim for unity in diversity.
5. Capacity is the inner strength and reserves that allows a person to function effectively even when under pressure. This can be developed.
A. Let's consider how well Jesus met these selection criteria when he chose his disciples!
13 Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. 14 He appointed twelve[a] that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach 15 and to have authority to drive out demons. 16 These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter), 17 James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder”), 18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot 19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. (Mk 3:13-19)
12 One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. 13 When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles: 14 Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, 15 Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, 16 Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. (Lk 5:12-15).
For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. (Jn 6:64)
Here we see Jesus using His perfect insight into the hearts of men to choose someone who would have the capacity to betray him after 3 years of shared life together. Not the 'right' person by the 5Cs, but the right person in the plan of God.
B. We can also consider how Paul and his companions were selected to go on their missionary journeys....
1 Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off. (Ac 13:1-3)
36 Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.” 37 Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, 38 but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. 39 They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, 40 but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord. 41 He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches. (Ac 15:36-41)
This second passage is so illuminating, because it shows how 2 mature Christians can differ drastically in the selection of a teammate. In hindsight, knowing what Paul wrote about Mark in 2 Ti 4:11b, we can say that Barnabas was right about Mark, and Paul was wrong. And yet at the point of the selection, it would have been impossible to know the best way forward. Paul's criteria were more like Edmund Chan's 5Cs, but Barnabas, the 'son of encouragement', looked beyond the present to Mark's future potential.
C. And we consider how the first deacons were chosen...
In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews[a] among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3 Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”
5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. (Ac 6:1-5)
These were Greek-speakers (all Greek names) to address the concerns and grievances of the Greek-speaking community. So these seven were chosen for race as well as character.
D. ...as well as a replacement apostle
21 Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, 22 beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.”
23 So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. 24 Then they prayed, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen 25 to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.” 26 Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.Here the practice of casting of lots is not condemned, but neither is it to be a standard practice in the light that the Spirit had not yet come in fullness at Pentecost to guide the apostles.
So - not a lot of intentional selection based on the above 5 criteria! Mainly prayer, worship and the guidance of the Spirit.. It seems that the really important criteria is that the one(s) making the selection should be devoted and close to the Lord.
My thought is that the 5Cs are not necessarily present in everyone we might select. Each individual has his or own path of growth. Every team member's ;life in Christ intersects with the life of other team members and other individuals, making the situation a dynamic one. So we must look at potential instead of only seeking fully-formed qualities.
My other thought is that all of us must strive to be the kind of person that would be a sought-after asset to teams. We should know our calling and gifting, be men and women who do the right thing whether or not others are looking, and appreciate the difficult, sorrowful experiences of life that deepen our character in the Lord.
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