Mission Teams

Mission Teams

by Tom Bandy

 Think of a mission team like a battery. The energy requires two poles to be connected to the Spirit. The first pole is the mentor … this is the spiritual leader attuned to the heartburst for mission and the needs of the mission field. The second pole is the ministry … this is the activity that blesses some micro-culture with the experience of Christ. Both ends of the battery need to be connected to the Spirit in order to energize the mission.

 A ministry without a mentor soon loses focus and accountability. Yet a mentor without a ministry soon loses creativity and relevance. Either way, the integrity and quality of ministry goes down, energy is diffused, and results are replaced by mere processes. Team members burn out. The light of hope dims.

 So the real key to vital team mission is to keep the two anodes of the battery charging. Mentors need to be connected with the DNA of the church and the movement of the Spirit in the zip code … ministries need to constantly push innovation and not be allowed to stagnate in repetitiveness. Both must happen at the same time.