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Making Staff Relationships Work
Enjoyed this article over on SimplyYouthMinistry.com talking about team and making an effort to bond together. Here’s a clip:
2. Confront more.
Many of us in ministry are people pleasers, and we want to make sure we rock the boat as little as possible. This is a major way that the enemy gets a foothold in staff relationships. We tend to bottle up our anger until it can’t be suppressed any longer. It’s like the ’80′s ballad says, “we’re living in a powder keg and giving off sparks.” If you don’t lovingly confront the issue right away, it will only fuel anger until you confront not in love but in frustration, which seldom leads to reconciliation. Often, things that eventually become major issues start with bad communication, and continue to build until you’re not even sure why you’re angry with the other person. Putting concerns on the table as soon as they happen helps pave the way to clearing up misunderstandings and open the door to speedy reconciliation.3. Speak less.
This may seem like a contradiction to number 2 but sometimes when we’re in bad staff situations we tend to be too confrontational. We want to “put that person in their place.” We often end up in arguments that only contribute to the problem and not preemptively lead us to healing. Sometimes the best thing to say is nothing at all. It’s up to you to prayerfully seek when it’s right to confront and when it’s right to be silent.4. Stop gossiping.
Even if you dress it up as a “prayer request,” talking to others about your situation seldom helps. You want to go to the source of the issue rather than speaking behind your fellow staff’s back. A good rule is to only share frustrations with one person, like your accountability partner. This will help you to release some steam but will also give an opportunity for this person to hold you accountable to making things right while they pray for the situation as a whole.
JG
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