I’ve worked in several churches now and have been involved in quite a few more. It seems that the church body really does follow the trends that is set forth by the church’s leadership. Here’s a list of some trends I’ve observed in church staff that truly reflect the heart of God to those both inside and outside the organization:

Staff that reflects the heart of God (in no particular order)
1. They spend time in prayer together for each other and for the ministry
2. They have fun together by building relationships outside of the ministry
3. They share a common vision and support each other’s variants of it
4. They encourage each other
5. Mistakes are handled with loving correction for the purpose of learning and growth
6. They communicate well
7. There is mutual love and respect for each other as well as for other people in general
8. They value the Word of God as the standard for ministry
9. A humble servant attitude among all leaders
10. The ability to be flexible to accommodate needs of each other’s ministries
11. A focus to reach people and build them into fully-devoted followers of Christ
12. The Word of God is taught without reservation
13. Life-change in individual’s lives is very real and measurable

Trends in a staff that don’t reflect this (in no particular order)
1. There is no time spent together for the purpose of spiritual growth and edification
2. All communication is strictly business
3. There is no coherent over-arching vision
4. Little communication between ministries
5. Pride and self-centeredness
6. Mistakes are judged and criticized
7. Ministry is based primarily on personal goals
8. Prayer for the ministry is addressed mostly when problems arise
9. A focus to build a group with a certain number of people
10. The Word of God is not central to ministry
11. Life-change is a fortunate accident, not an intentional objective

What other trends should be added to these lists?

• Church staff: close friends or co-workers?
• Handling conflict with your sr. pastor and church staff members
• Navigating the church system (3 of 5): Why churches change slowly
• Navigating the church system (4 of 5): Understanding the adoption curve
• Dealing with the pressures of church leadership