relationships matter – FILO Blog

One of the things that stands out the most for me in Jesus’ three years of ministry is how relational He was. He always took time with whoever crossed His path, even the Pharisees and others were only trying to trap Him in His words. His priority was people and pointing them to His Father and the promise of salvation through Him. He was never in a hurry.So, in a position where the gear and the tasks and the details can sometimes be the thing we’re most focused on (mostly because Sunday comes every seven days), we must be reminded that our ministry is about the people in our care and on our teams. We are the shepherds of our teams. One of our Summer Skills Cohort guests talked about the fact that we may not have Pastor in our official title, but we are called to pastor our flock.I was reading a devotional about the Holy Spirit recently and His roles in our lives. One of these roles is as a uniter of God’s people. Acts 2 recounts Pentecost and verse 42 says, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” The Greek word used for “fellowship” here is koinonia. It appears for the first time in this passage and then 18 more times throughout the New Testament. J. Lee Grady talks about it this way: “Koinonia, which also can be translated as ‘partnership,’ is a supernatural grace that causes Christians to love one another deeply. It was not possible before Pentecost because it is a manifestation of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Just as the Spirit’s dunamis power enables us to heal the sick or work miracles, His koinonia knits our hearts and binds us together.”We have the most important thing in common with those we lead and labor with! The presence of the Holy Spirit binds us together regardless of which ministry we work in or what stage of life we’re in or what profession we work in.I think we can all agree that fellowship with our team is the most important part of our ministry, but I would also encourage you to be intentional about getting to know and spending time with the staff outside of your ministry. I am blessed to be laboring alongside an incredible staff at my church. We range in ages from 21 to 70. We come from all different backgrounds (professional theater, auto mechanics, accounting, insurance just to name a few) and operate in all different giftings. But we are all united in partnership with the Holy Spirit. And the relationships I have forged with staff outside of my ministry have informed so much of how I care for and support and shepherd my own team. Sometimes you just need someone with a different perspective to untangle difficult situations or to be reminded of what our priorities are or to pray over you and your team.The gear and the details are only one part of the story of our ministry and shouldn’t be our only focus. Be intentional about making time for others. That is how the Acts 2 church was built. Obviously, build in time to gather as a team over a meal or fun activity. But also invite your high school ministry director out for lunch. Have coffee with your kids ministry director. Share cupcakes with your office manager. All of these relationships matter, and God calls us and uses us to build each other up in the faith (1 Thessalonians 5:11). You never know how God will use one of your staff team to encourage you, or more importantly, how He might use YOU to encourage others.If you're interested in learning more about how to develop relationships on your team, check out the FILO podcast episode 99 "Leadership at the Speed of Relationship."