Creating a Leadership Team – Part II

During our first leadership team meeting, we covered the expectations of our leadership team.  The eight expectations of the leadership team were to:

• Support (myMISSION PIEDMONT/WMU, each other)
• Assist (carry out events, do whatever necessary to make mMP work)
• Promote (share with church/friends, post flyers, internet, etc.)
• Attend (meetings and events--including set-up/clean-up)
• Plan (contribute, create, prepare, etc.)
• Pray (that's self-explanatory)
• Share (opinions, feedback, prayer requests, etc.)
• Grow (as a leader, as a team and as a Christian)

Looking back, it never crossed my mind that this might be too much to expect from a team.  I saw the potential in these young women and believed so much in what God called us to do that anything less wouldn't get us where God wanted us to go.  However, this might not be the right approach for your group!  Pray about it and God will show you what is and isn't realistic to expect from your team.

For us, high commitment was foundational for those early days and it's something that my team is capable of.  Somewhere along the line, there was a transition from high-commitment simply because it was part of being on the team to high-commitment because they saw God working through them and through myMISSION.  I'm so thankful for our team and that they saw the vision.  It truly was God that put our team together because He allowed them to see what I couldn't express at that time and gave them the gumption to stick with it.  Looking back, that really was a lot to ask of them especially when I didn't even know them (what is it they say? Hindsight is 20/20?).

At the first myMISSION PIEDMONT leadership team meeting, the team filled out a “Leadership Team Profile” which asked for their basic contact info, birthday info, some fun facts about them (gift bag ideas for later use), and then asked them to answer the following questions:

• What is your spiritual gift?  (Leave blank if unsure.) 
• What special skills or talents do you bring with you to myMISSION PIEDMONT? 
• What are your ministry passions and/or favorite ways to share God’s love with others?
• What is something you are interested in learning or developing through this leadership team experience (can be something personal, leadership, church, WMU related, etc.)?
• Are you willing to make a commitment to being on the leadership team, praying for myMISSION PIEDMONT, assisting as you can and doing your best to attend all leadership team meetings and training sessions throughout the year?
• What are the best days/times for you to meet?

Every myMISSION group is going to have its own dynamic.  For some, a leadership team might not be necessary.  For others, a leadership team would be helpful so all the organization and planning doesn’t rest on your shoulders.  For us, it was about involving other young women because I won’t be in my 30s forever and saw the need to bring younger women along so they can keep WMU and myMISSION going long after my 35th birthday.  I wanted to give them a chance to experiment with new things, a chance to learn through practical experience and a chance to see where God can take us whenever we are open to Him.  Besides, it's way more fun doing myMISSION as team than alone!  These are friendships that will last a lifetime!

For more on the myMISSION PIEDMONT leadership team, read “MoreThan a Leadership Team”.