One of the incredible blessings I have in my ministry, is to be surrounded with the Ministry Team I have around me. One of the great luxuries (there AREN'T many) of being a church planter, is that you get to pick who's on your team and who's NOT on your team. I ran across a Scripture passage recently that really lists the qualities we should look for in a potential team mate. Epahproditus was one of Paul's teammates. Look what Paul said about him:
"Meanwhile, I thought I should send Epaphroditus back to you. He is a true brother, a faithful worker, and a courageous soldier. And he was your messenger to help me in my need. Now I am sending him home again, for he has been longing to see you, and he was very distressed that you heard he was ill. Philippians 2:25-26 (NLT)
When we look for teammates, we need to look for:
* Someone who has relational chemistry with us. Chemistry, to Paul, was more importance than competence!
* Someone who has a track record of Faithfulness. Epaphroditus had a track record of finishing what he started!
* Someone who has courage. Someone with a backbone! It's one thing to have someone loyal. It;s another thing to have someone that can stand up for themselves and make tough calls when needed.
* Someone who loves us. It was important to Paul that his teammates loved God, but also that they loved him!
* Someone who cares about people. Epaphroditus was not only competent, he was compassionate, and had lots of friends. You can know a lot about a person by the number and quality of their relationships with people!
* Someone who's willing to pay the price. If they weren't willing to suffer for the ministry, they didn't last long on Paul's team!
If you're a leader, spend your whole life, thinking team, picking the right people for the team, and cultivating your team!
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