Scriptures: Exodus 17; Exodus 18; Acts 6
Team members must understand their Function within the Big Picture.
Team members and leaders each have particular functions, and those functions working together will cause the team and organization to be effective. The team’s responsibility is to keep themselves & their leaders in position. People working out of position yields dysfunction.
We see a Biblical example of this in Exodus 17. The Israelites were under attack, and Moses commissioned Joshua to choose some men and go fight, while he stood on the top of a hill and interceded for them in prayer.
Exodus 17:10-13 NLT
10 So Joshua did what Moses had commanded and fought the army of Amalek. Meanwhile, Moses, Aaron, and Hur climbed to the top of a nearby hill. 11 As long as Moses held up the staff in his hand, the Israelites had the advantage. But whenever he dropped his hand, the Amalekites gained the advantage. 12 Moses’ arms soon became so tired he could no longer hold them up. So Aaron and Hur found a stone for him to sit on. Then they stood on each side of Moses, holding up his hands. So his hands held steady until sunset. 13 As a result, Joshua overwhelmed the army of Amalek in battle.
I like victory! Don’t you? This victory was only achieved by people working together while carrying out their own unique functions. Each part was important. We also see how valuable it was for Aaron and Hur to help support Moses. Teams can help leaders stay strong and carry on.
Later, in Exodus 18, Moses' father-in-law, Jethro, came for a visit and helped him to see the importance of empowering teams by defining functions. Moses had taken on the direct pastoral care of 2+ million people every day. Jethro told him: “This is not good!”… “You’re going to wear yourself out—and the people, too. This job is too heavy a burden for you to handle all by yourself” (vs.17-18). Moses followed Jethro’s instructions: “He chose capable men from all over Israel and appointed them as leaders over the people. He put them in charge of groups of one thousand, one hundred, fifty, and ten. These men were always available to solve the people’s common disputes. They brought the major cases to Moses, but they took care of the smaller matters themselves” (vs.25-26).
What a difference it can make when teams functioned together with the leader! Acts 6 shows us this same truth, when the Apostles appointed the Seven to handle certain matters within the church.
Just imagine if members of an orchestra started moving around during a performance, taking over other instruments. What if the conductor left the podium during a concert to go to go play a few notes on the tuba? People would be out of position and it probably wouldn’t sound very good.
Every organization functions by Design or Default. The purpose and God-given Vision provides both aim and energy for organizational structure to be designed and built. This helps the organization, the leader, and each team member fulfill their God-given assignment.
Organizational Charts provide visual representations of an organization’s internal structure, showing how teams and departments operate and flow together. These Organizational Charts are designed to accommodate and facilitate growth. Organizational structure is not static; it is living, breathing infrastructure. We design our Organizational structure based on function. Teams are built according to areas of responsibility and roles that are needed in order to fulfill the mandate. Functional Organizational Charts are tools to help leaders and teams understand their function within the Big picture.
When leaders and teams understand their function, they can fulfill their part from an empowered position.
*TCBS provides additional training on building organizational structure.
6 Main Responsibilities of a Team
Advance the Vision
Promote the Culture
Understand your Function
Submit & Execute Proposals
Analyze & Report Results
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