Team Ministry as Coaching

According to Bear Bryant, legendary Alabama football coach, good coaches:
1. Tell players what you expect of them.
2. Give players an opportunity to perform.
3. Let players know how they're doing.
4. Instruct and empower players when they need it.
5. Reward players according to their contribution.

I'm thinking about how these ideas play into volunteer ministry teams.
1. Clear expectations of volunteers up front; some sort of one- to three- sentence job description.

2. Give volunteers meaningful ways to volunteer, set 'em up, and let 'em get to it.

3. Feed back is necessary - can be formal (general comments in team meetings, etc.) or informal (casual conversations during or following events, going to lunch, etc.) - but keep communication open.

4. Don't throw volunteers to the lions. Set them up to succeed by giving some basic youth ministry training. And seek to nurture their spiritual health.

5. Give recognition. Celebrate successes. And celebrate as a team.


Right now, I don't think this is something I'm super-terrific at, but something I hope to grow into. I like the thought of viewing it as a 'coaching' situation. And, Bear Bryant was a pretty decent ball coach.

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