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Doing Church As a Team
In Doing Church as a Team , Pastor Wayne Cordeiro underscores that church numbers are insignificant when every individual is not involved. However, if the team members work together as one toward a single, clearly defined goal, anything is possible, and everyone shares in the joys and rewards of success!
214 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1998
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June 23, 2019
Doing Church as a Team, Wayne Cordeiro enewhope.org
Greek disciple comes from verb manthano, to learn. Humility and teachability are the crown jewels of all the qualities of a leader whom God will use in the twenty-first century. When we stop learning, we just stop. Near the death of Jigoro Kano, world-renowned black blest in judo, he asked that they bury him in a white belt, the symbol of beginner/learner.
John 17:21, I often notice that as Christians we constantly ask God to answer our prayers. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that; He invites our payer and is so faithful to answer them. But after reading this, I thought, Wouldn’t it be nice, if just for once, we could answer one of HIS prayers? Doing church as a team is one of the ways we can do that.
Our drummer is preaching the gospel the best way he knows how - through his drums! Few things are more beautiful to God than seeing His people serve and work together in a united rhythm. It’s like a symphony to His ears. God designed us to need each other. To reach our communities, we need every ministry doing its part and every congregation doing church as a team. We are called to this work and no one can do it alone. No pastor can singled-handedly fulfill such a calling, regardless how gifted.
Salvation is not about getting you to heaven (if that were the only reason God saved you, then the moment you received Christ, God would have killed you. Why keep you around?) Salvation includes you, but it’s not all about you. It is what God wants to do through you.
I don’t want God to say on the final day, Nice house. Great job. Nice boat. Wonderful salary. Grade F…Wrong assignment! Church: Great building program. Nice potlucks. Great prayer meetings. Beautiful sanctuary. Grade F…Wrong assignment!
The influence a church has on its community will be determined in large part not by the pastor’s personality the size of building or length of ministry in community, but involvement in ministry of each member. The mark of transition from attendance to ownership, from consumer to contributor.
If you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place.” Esther. What role do you want to play?
What about reaching police officers (etc)? God takes full-time ministers, disguises them as police officers. He gives them all the necessary gifts, passions, credentials, and assigns them all over the nation.
God loves to take ordinary people through them to do extraordinary exploits. He doesn’t need superheroes. He is looking for everyday believers, willing vessels he can equip and gift.
My church must be a battleship, not a cruise liner. If you are to pierce the darkness and rescue lost souls, you cannot be a ship of spectators. Everyone must know why they’re on board.
Some may have the gift of teaching, but passion of discipleship. gift in music, but passion in children’s ministry.
Once you link your gifts with passion, you play a powerful role in the body of Christ, finding great joy and motivation in service.
Every follower of Jesus is endowed with one or more spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 12, Rom. 12, Eph. 4, 1 Peter 4) Christ’s ministry continues after Jesus ascended through believers.
Spiritual growth is not measured by hours spent in church. Jesus turned over the whole church to fisherman and tax gatherers after 3 years. Growth isbetter measured by a person’s willingness to apply what he has heard than by length of stay in pews. (John 13:17) If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.
New Hope slogan, The fastest way to the throne is through the servant’s entrance. True blessing is using your gifts with the right heart and motives. When people say, “Oh that’s not my gift, or passion.” It’s nothing to do with gifts or passion, but an issue of the heart. Each of us has a tendency to justify selfish motives with a religious cloak.
Accountability is so important; without it, you will never build character. A is one of God’s favorite tools for building the character we need. Watch for those who avoid accountability. They look good in calm, but when storm hits they capsize. Character is the inner strength, stabilizing weight beneath the surface.
Illustration: Two miners spent half their lives looking for gold in the Pacific NW. Despite the mocking criticism of townspeople, the two miners pressed on, believing in their ability to strike it rich. the pair soon became the joke of the town, as week after week, they returned from their labors empty handed. Nevertheless, they pressed on with deep confidence that someday they would find what they were looking for. One afternoon after months of painstaking work in an old mine shaft, they finally hit pay dirt. They glimpsed huge nuggets of gold shining out of darkness from a rich, undiscovered vein. With furious abandon the men began pulling nugget after nugget from the grip of the earth. No one knows if it was a faulty support pole, the exuberance of the shouting, or gradual loosening of dirt that caused the collapse, but the sound of loud, piercing cracks in the timber brought the men to an abrupt halt. Suddenly, the mine shaft caved in, tons of dirt fell pounding both men to the floor. One of the men lay injured on the ground, holding tightly a nugget of gold he had just claimed. The other miner, still bale to move, pulled himself up yelling, ‘Come on! We’ve got to get out of here before the whole thing collapses. I’ll help you. Get up! Leave the gold. We don’t have a second to lose! The injured miner still clutching his gold nugget tightly to his chest said, No, just leave me here. I found what I’ve been looking for. I’ve spent my life searching for this vein, and I’m not about to let it go now. Leave me here. ‘Dont be foolish! We’ve gotta get you back. Just then the rafters trembled, spilling more dirt into the dust-filled shaft. If I leave you here, you’ll surely die! What will I tell your family? the folks back in town?’ The badly injured miner wheezed his final words between strained coughs, as dust filled the collapsing chamber. ‘Just tell ‘em I died rich,’ he whispered with a final breath.
You can’t do church as team while battling insecurity. Good leaders must build confidence in others, and if you’re intimidated, you can rejoice and congratulate others who rise above you. (e.g. Saul in OT)
Wesley: Give me 100 preachers who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God, and I care not a straw whether they be clergy of lay, such alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of God upon earth.
Some of our greatest discoveries occur when people readjust their eyes to see what’s best about a situation rather than what’s worst. (Velcro invention)
God is less interested in what you’re doing than He is in what you’re becoming.
Character is like a gold setting in a diamond ring, the strength and quality of the setting will determine the security and staying power of the gem.
God gives gifts in packages of potential. The gift of playing baseball. Coach: I knew you had it in you. Keep it up! Year later, That guy has a gift! But how did it come to its fulness? To actually get out and practice/play baseball.
I do. You watch. We do together. You do. I applaud!
Jesus began passing batons early in His ministry. Passing the baton in ministry isn’t a sudden last ditch effort. You’re passing batons to all the team members. Then you run together! You don’t pass a baton and quit. You stay with team and run in unison. We pass batons as a way of including others in the race. You pass in the apex of your stride. It’s not an exit strategy.
No attitude that says, That’s not my responsibility. But to serve laterally.
Why did God place this ministry in this community? If this church could accomplish only 4 things, what would they be? How much of our ministry is geared toward harvest, and taking care of grain? If our church only ran 10 years, what would our greatest priorities be? What kind of potential lies untapped for the kingdom?
The Holy Spirit helps us to dream again! Dream big for God! God will always start with what you have, not with what you don’t have.
Livingstone story, The chief as a sign of acceptance takes whatever he desired from the layed out missionaries possessions. Then the chief would give a gift. Don’t take the goat! (stomach ailment) That’s not a stick, that’s the chief’s very scepter. You will gain entry to every village and tribe in the interior. You have been given safe passage and great authority as a gift from the king.
Guidelines for Vision: The vision must be birthed and aligned with God’s Word. Must be consistent with Great Commission for reaching the lost. Must be hammered out. Clear, concise, easily understood by everyone. Vision must guide activity. People must buy in.
Evangelism. (Could we invite a non-Christian to this?) Edification (discipleship). Equipping (design course) Extension. (seed planting efforts) The 4 E’s flow naturally marking each phase of maturing process of every Christian from salvation to growth to fruitful leader to go out and reach others for Christ. Vision: to turn non-Christians to converts to disciples to mature fruitful leaders to go into the world and reach others for Christ.
Any vehicle out of alignment cannot function to its potential.
Alignment is vision caught and shared by every person involved.
Worse than vision, is a church with many visions, agendas.
Evaluation Q?’s: Is our ministry producing disciples and mature leaders integrated int the context of the church? Or is it an island unto itself with independent goals?
Identify ministry’s core values. New Hope’s: We believe that every person Christian and non-Christian alike is valuable to God and to His kingdom, that doing church as a team is God’s design for effective ministry, that a simple presentation of Jesus Christ in creative ways will impact and transform lives. (importance of communicating in such a way that it is understood and impacts the heart), that every member shuold commit to a lifestyle of consistent spiritual growth with honest accountability, that every member is a minister who has been given gifts to be discovered, developed, deployed, that God is worthy of our best, a spirit of excellent should pervade, that genuine love and caring relationships are key to the life of every endeavor (refusing to give audience to the spirit of complaining, solving problems in a way that honors God and builds biblical character), most effective evangelism happens through people inviting people, in identifying and training emerging leaders who are fully committed to Christ and who will reach their generation with the gospel.
Create a common culture with a shared vision and expressed values and finish line sights.
Fractal design = not a church with small groups, but a church of small groups. Each person is accountable to another leader, disciples others as well as gets discipled.
Visible reminders of what culture should look like.
What are we known for? Are these values biblical? Wanted? Will these remain relevant in future generation? Can we dedicate ourselves to live out these values?
You can teach what you know, but you will reproduce what you are.
To change things, tell them what will not change. Present the transition in such a way that you help people realize their own dreams.
Listening, respect, excited to see one another,
Maintaining healthy relationships is more important than just attending church. Matt. 5:23-24
We release the sweet aroma of life when we live for one another rather than for ourselves.
God has given authority in the church for building up, not tearing down.
Greek disciple comes from verb manthano, to learn. Humility and teachability are the crown jewels of all the qualities of a leader whom God will use in the twenty-first century. When we stop learning, we just stop. Near the death of Jigoro Kano, world-renowned black blest in judo, he asked that they bury him in a white belt, the symbol of beginner/learner.
John 17:21, I often notice that as Christians we constantly ask God to answer our prayers. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that; He invites our payer and is so faithful to answer them. But after reading this, I thought, Wouldn’t it be nice, if just for once, we could answer one of HIS prayers? Doing church as a team is one of the ways we can do that.
Our drummer is preaching the gospel the best way he knows how - through his drums! Few things are more beautiful to God than seeing His people serve and work together in a united rhythm. It’s like a symphony to His ears. God designed us to need each other. To reach our communities, we need every ministry doing its part and every congregation doing church as a team. We are called to this work and no one can do it alone. No pastor can singled-handedly fulfill such a calling, regardless how gifted.
Salvation is not about getting you to heaven (if that were the only reason God saved you, then the moment you received Christ, God would have killed you. Why keep you around?) Salvation includes you, but it’s not all about you. It is what God wants to do through you.
I don’t want God to say on the final day, Nice house. Great job. Nice boat. Wonderful salary. Grade F…Wrong assignment! Church: Great building program. Nice potlucks. Great prayer meetings. Beautiful sanctuary. Grade F…Wrong assignment!
The influence a church has on its community will be determined in large part not by the pastor’s personality the size of building or length of ministry in community, but involvement in ministry of each member. The mark of transition from attendance to ownership, from consumer to contributor.
If you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place.” Esther. What role do you want to play?
What about reaching police officers (etc)? God takes full-time ministers, disguises them as police officers. He gives them all the necessary gifts, passions, credentials, and assigns them all over the nation.
God loves to take ordinary people through them to do extraordinary exploits. He doesn’t need superheroes. He is looking for everyday believers, willing vessels he can equip and gift.
My church must be a battleship, not a cruise liner. If you are to pierce the darkness and rescue lost souls, you cannot be a ship of spectators. Everyone must know why they’re on board.
Some may have the gift of teaching, but passion of discipleship. gift in music, but passion in children’s ministry.
Once you link your gifts with passion, you play a powerful role in the body of Christ, finding great joy and motivation in service.
Every follower of Jesus is endowed with one or more spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 12, Rom. 12, Eph. 4, 1 Peter 4) Christ’s ministry continues after Jesus ascended through believers.
Spiritual growth is not measured by hours spent in church. Jesus turned over the whole church to fisherman and tax gatherers after 3 years. Growth isbetter measured by a person’s willingness to apply what he has heard than by length of stay in pews. (John 13:17) If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.
New Hope slogan, The fastest way to the throne is through the servant’s entrance. True blessing is using your gifts with the right heart and motives. When people say, “Oh that’s not my gift, or passion.” It’s nothing to do with gifts or passion, but an issue of the heart. Each of us has a tendency to justify selfish motives with a religious cloak.
Accountability is so important; without it, you will never build character. A is one of God’s favorite tools for building the character we need. Watch for those who avoid accountability. They look good in calm, but when storm hits they capsize. Character is the inner strength, stabilizing weight beneath the surface.
Illustration: Two miners spent half their lives looking for gold in the Pacific NW. Despite the mocking criticism of townspeople, the two miners pressed on, believing in their ability to strike it rich. the pair soon became the joke of the town, as week after week, they returned from their labors empty handed. Nevertheless, they pressed on with deep confidence that someday they would find what they were looking for. One afternoon after months of painstaking work in an old mine shaft, they finally hit pay dirt. They glimpsed huge nuggets of gold shining out of darkness from a rich, undiscovered vein. With furious abandon the men began pulling nugget after nugget from the grip of the earth. No one knows if it was a faulty support pole, the exuberance of the shouting, or gradual loosening of dirt that caused the collapse, but the sound of loud, piercing cracks in the timber brought the men to an abrupt halt. Suddenly, the mine shaft caved in, tons of dirt fell pounding both men to the floor. One of the men lay injured on the ground, holding tightly a nugget of gold he had just claimed. The other miner, still bale to move, pulled himself up yelling, ‘Come on! We’ve got to get out of here before the whole thing collapses. I’ll help you. Get up! Leave the gold. We don’t have a second to lose! The injured miner still clutching his gold nugget tightly to his chest said, No, just leave me here. I found what I’ve been looking for. I’ve spent my life searching for this vein, and I’m not about to let it go now. Leave me here. ‘Dont be foolish! We’ve gotta get you back. Just then the rafters trembled, spilling more dirt into the dust-filled shaft. If I leave you here, you’ll surely die! What will I tell your family? the folks back in town?’ The badly injured miner wheezed his final words between strained coughs, as dust filled the collapsing chamber. ‘Just tell ‘em I died rich,’ he whispered with a final breath.
You can’t do church as team while battling insecurity. Good leaders must build confidence in others, and if you’re intimidated, you can rejoice and congratulate others who rise above you. (e.g. Saul in OT)
Wesley: Give me 100 preachers who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God, and I care not a straw whether they be clergy of lay, such alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of God upon earth.
Some of our greatest discoveries occur when people readjust their eyes to see what’s best about a situation rather than what’s worst. (Velcro invention)
God is less interested in what you’re doing than He is in what you’re becoming.
Character is like a gold setting in a diamond ring, the strength and quality of the setting will determine the security and staying power of the gem.
God gives gifts in packages of potential. The gift of playing baseball. Coach: I knew you had it in you. Keep it up! Year later, That guy has a gift! But how did it come to its fulness? To actually get out and practice/play baseball.
I do. You watch. We do together. You do. I applaud!
Jesus began passing batons early in His ministry. Passing the baton in ministry isn’t a sudden last ditch effort. You’re passing batons to all the team members. Then you run together! You don’t pass a baton and quit. You stay with team and run in unison. We pass batons as a way of including others in the race. You pass in the apex of your stride. It’s not an exit strategy.
No attitude that says, That’s not my responsibility. But to serve laterally.
Why did God place this ministry in this community? If this church could accomplish only 4 things, what would they be? How much of our ministry is geared toward harvest, and taking care of grain? If our church only ran 10 years, what would our greatest priorities be? What kind of potential lies untapped for the kingdom?
The Holy Spirit helps us to dream again! Dream big for God! God will always start with what you have, not with what you don’t have.
Livingstone story, The chief as a sign of acceptance takes whatever he desired from the layed out missionaries possessions. Then the chief would give a gift. Don’t take the goat! (stomach ailment) That’s not a stick, that’s the chief’s very scepter. You will gain entry to every village and tribe in the interior. You have been given safe passage and great authority as a gift from the king.
Guidelines for Vision: The vision must be birthed and aligned with God’s Word. Must be consistent with Great Commission for reaching the lost. Must be hammered out. Clear, concise, easily understood by everyone. Vision must guide activity. People must buy in.
Evangelism. (Could we invite a non-Christian to this?) Edification (discipleship). Equipping (design course) Extension. (seed planting efforts) The 4 E’s flow naturally marking each phase of maturing process of every Christian from salvation to growth to fruitful leader to go out and reach others for Christ. Vision: to turn non-Christians to converts to disciples to mature fruitful leaders to go into the world and reach others for Christ.
Any vehicle out of alignment cannot function to its potential.
Alignment is vision caught and shared by every person involved.
Worse than vision, is a church with many visions, agendas.
Evaluation Q?’s: Is our ministry producing disciples and mature leaders integrated int the context of the church? Or is it an island unto itself with independent goals?
Identify ministry’s core values. New Hope’s: We believe that every person Christian and non-Christian alike is valuable to God and to His kingdom, that doing church as a team is God’s design for effective ministry, that a simple presentation of Jesus Christ in creative ways will impact and transform lives. (importance of communicating in such a way that it is understood and impacts the heart), that every member shuold commit to a lifestyle of consistent spiritual growth with honest accountability, that every member is a minister who has been given gifts to be discovered, developed, deployed, that God is worthy of our best, a spirit of excellent should pervade, that genuine love and caring relationships are key to the life of every endeavor (refusing to give audience to the spirit of complaining, solving problems in a way that honors God and builds biblical character), most effective evangelism happens through people inviting people, in identifying and training emerging leaders who are fully committed to Christ and who will reach their generation with the gospel.
Create a common culture with a shared vision and expressed values and finish line sights.
Fractal design = not a church with small groups, but a church of small groups. Each person is accountable to another leader, disciples others as well as gets discipled.
Visible reminders of what culture should look like.
What are we known for? Are these values biblical? Wanted? Will these remain relevant in future generation? Can we dedicate ourselves to live out these values?
You can teach what you know, but you will reproduce what you are.
To change things, tell them what will not change. Present the transition in such a way that you help people realize their own dreams.
Listening, respect, excited to see one another,
Maintaining healthy relationships is more important than just attending church. Matt. 5:23-24
We release the sweet aroma of life when we live for one another rather than for ourselves.
God has given authority in the church for building up, not tearing down.
June 3, 2013
This and several other books like it have been very influential on how I do ministry, how I lead, and, as a result, what I write about. Cordeiro has influenced my writing in many of my articles and a couple of my books, especially The Pocket Guide to Burnout-Free Small Group Leadership and chapter 3, "A Healthy Group Shares Leadership with a Core Team," of Small Group Vital Signs. Well worth the read if you are in a leadership position.
November 26, 2011
The pastor is not the only person responsible for ministry. Duh.
Doing Church as a Team allows pastors and congregations to come together with a clear understanding of who they are and what they are supposed to do together to make the kingdom of God thrive and hum.
In Doing Church as a Team, Pastor Wayne Cordeiro underscores that church numbers are insignificant when individuals are not involved. However, if the team members work together as one toward a single, clearly defined goal, anything is possible, and everyone shares in the joys and rewards of success!
Doing Church as a Team allows pastors and congregations to come together with a clear understanding of who they are and what they are supposed to do together to make the kingdom of God thrive and hum.
In Doing Church as a Team, Pastor Wayne Cordeiro underscores that church numbers are insignificant when individuals are not involved. However, if the team members work together as one toward a single, clearly defined goal, anything is possible, and everyone shares in the joys and rewards of success!
June 15, 2012
Our church leadership went through this book many years ago and it was instrumental in the approach we took to ministry ever since. Wayne Cordeiro writes in a very real and easy way to understand as he gives practical advice on doing church. Wayne also uses the metaphor of the shaping a bonzai tree to illustrate the fact that it takes time and patience to cultivate the things God has for you or your church. My husband has continually referred to this metaphor over the years so I know it had a huge impact on him as well.
August 2, 2009
Excellent book recommended from my friend Sheila. Addresses how to form teams, using Spiritual Gifts that God wants us to use for ministry, heading in the same direction together, and the fact that we are ALL ministers even if we are not ordained.
June 6, 2014
One of the best books on developing church ministries that I have ever read.
September 30, 2025
"Doing Church as a Team", while originally written a couple decades back, provides timeless insights into how it seems that God designed the church to function. Sadly, many churches have bypassed this model, because it is more complex and challenging, instead embracing a "staff led" model whereby the staff performs and the rest of the church observed. While an overstatement is some respects, until we can reembrace a model whereby all members are stakeholders, and every stakeholder engages their responsibility and place in the church, the power that can be unleashed in the church will be limited based on the capacity of a few performers. "Future Focused Church", released in early 2025, serves as an excellent parallel read. Merging together the content of both books provides an renewed strategy moving forward.
June 4, 2018
A practical, biblical book that stresses the importance of teamwork within any congregation. A great look at why teams are necessary, how to encourage a healthy church environment and the fact that everyone is different and has various skills to bring to a church.
August 19, 2019
Required reading for church leaders
If every church followed this template our impact would be epic. Cordeiro lays out well balanced and thought provoking challenges with well worded examples.
If every church followed this template our impact would be epic. Cordeiro lays out well balanced and thought provoking challenges with well worded examples.
June 2, 2025
Read this in college, re-read it for work now. I quit a little bit at the end because it felt so full of fluff that I was struggling to read it. I got some good stuff from it, but it felt like a book I had read before. Probably because I have.
August 2, 2019
This was a great book. Easy read, but great depth and insight. Applicable information. I highly recommend!
April 7, 2022
Wow!!!!
Simplemente wow, valioso, honesto, profundo esencial para todo pastor que comienza en el ministerio, y los que reconocen su necesidad de un ajuste. Totalmente recomendado.
Simplemente wow, valioso, honesto, profundo esencial para todo pastor que comienza en el ministerio, y los que reconocen su necesidad de un ajuste. Totalmente recomendado.
December 17, 2023
If you think the concert followed by a public speaker is still valid, this isn't a bad way to do it.
February 21, 2025
This book is not interesting at all in my opinion. It will just radically change a church if you apply the materials inside. I don’t know how much of it is an issue for everyone else’s church but these materials are fantastic for church growth.
July 31, 2022
In Doing Church as a Team, Wayne Cordeiro explored the scopes of building up your team within your church and letting them use their gifts to help others. He has noticed how there is much more a disconnect within the church than ever before. We aren’t in tune to the needs of people. He stated that there are 35 to 40 million people unchurched right now. Some of the reasons people have left is because of their gifts not being used, the tasks given in the church aren’t challenging to grow, disconnected from other believers, or they have been hurt by others within the church. He shared how he is the founding of New Hope Christian Fellowship of Oahu in Hawaii. He shared how his church grew in numbers and how lives were changed. He revealed how the church learned to work together as a team. He explored the three categories of gifts: office, serving, and charismatic gifts. He stated how everyone has a gift and how everybody is a 10 in something. He shared what DESIGN means and how to discover our gifts and passions. He opened up about his churches nine core values that the members are expected to live out.
I would recommend this life changing book to anyone who is ready to discover their gifts and passions and they can use this within the church and outside the church. I immensely loved how he has updated this edition to become more updated with the times. One of my favorite chapters was the one that discussed the difference between secure and insecure leadership. I liked how he looked at King Saul and how insecure he was towards David. I also liked how he explained the circle design and how to build your team. I enjoyed reading about the guidelines for a God-glorifying vision.
"I received this book free from the publisher, Bethany House/ Chosen for my honest review.”
I would recommend this life changing book to anyone who is ready to discover their gifts and passions and they can use this within the church and outside the church. I immensely loved how he has updated this edition to become more updated with the times. One of my favorite chapters was the one that discussed the difference between secure and insecure leadership. I liked how he looked at King Saul and how insecure he was towards David. I also liked how he explained the circle design and how to build your team. I enjoyed reading about the guidelines for a God-glorifying vision.
"I received this book free from the publisher, Bethany House/ Chosen for my honest review.”
August 25, 2019
Mr. Cordeiro is an infectious optimist. It's hard to read this book and not be encouraged, no matter how disgruntled you may be with imperfect leadership in the church. A few key takeaways for me were the chapters on dreaming big, establishing ministry core values, implementing a fractal leadership model (by which a leader is only responsible for a set number of individuals, each of whom is over another group, that way no one is responsible for more than their set number) and the last chapter, which emphasized that everyone is doing their best, and thus we need to be gentle restorers, not harsh critics.
This book is full of some great quotes, memorable anecdotes and interesting analogies, such as the totem metaphor for church values where they become iconic, obvious symbols to everyone in the community. An effective church requires a connected, committed team of friends, not just coworkers. I appreciated his emphasis on the relational component. If there is tension in any church relationship, it will eventually manifest itself in a ministry problem. Thus, people are the goal first. Leaders must focus on building up others, not themselves. This takes time, sacrifice and commitment to the relationship. I learned a lot about myself and my own problems within ministry (both those I see and those to which I contribute), as well as some dreams and visions I have for the future. This book will be encouraging to anyone involved in Christian ministry, primarily because its target audience is everyone. Each individual is a vital part of the team that needs to be exercising their gifts and leading in the ways that God has gifted them.
This book is full of some great quotes, memorable anecdotes and interesting analogies, such as the totem metaphor for church values where they become iconic, obvious symbols to everyone in the community. An effective church requires a connected, committed team of friends, not just coworkers. I appreciated his emphasis on the relational component. If there is tension in any church relationship, it will eventually manifest itself in a ministry problem. Thus, people are the goal first. Leaders must focus on building up others, not themselves. This takes time, sacrifice and commitment to the relationship. I learned a lot about myself and my own problems within ministry (both those I see and those to which I contribute), as well as some dreams and visions I have for the future. This book will be encouraging to anyone involved in Christian ministry, primarily because its target audience is everyone. Each individual is a vital part of the team that needs to be exercising their gifts and leading in the ways that God has gifted them.
July 2, 2022
The Church was never designed to be a one-man show where the pastor does all the ministry. Ministry was never intended to be carried on the shoulders of a few. The Church functions best when every person is using their gifts and abilities in ministry. This is the conviction and message of author Wayne Cordeiro in his book, Doing Church as a Team: The Miracle of Teamwork and how it Transforms Churches.
The book was originally published in 2001 and rereleased in 2004. The revised and updated edition was released this year in 2022. While the book is aimed at church leaders such as pastors, elders, and deacons, it is also helpful for anyone in the congregation to read and understand the concepts.
The author builds his case through an explanation of the early church in Acts and the passages in the New Testament on spiritual gifts. He also uses examples from the Old Testament in the lives of Moses and Esther. He illustrates his concepts with numerous illustrations from his own ministry experience, history, literature, and movies.
The author makes it clear he is not presenting his church’s experience and asking the reader to do it like they did. He presents the principles and concepts and encourages the reader to adapt them to their own unique context.
Disclosure: I received this book free from Bethany House through the Bethany House Blogger Review Program. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review.
The book was originally published in 2001 and rereleased in 2004. The revised and updated edition was released this year in 2022. While the book is aimed at church leaders such as pastors, elders, and deacons, it is also helpful for anyone in the congregation to read and understand the concepts.
The author builds his case through an explanation of the early church in Acts and the passages in the New Testament on spiritual gifts. He also uses examples from the Old Testament in the lives of Moses and Esther. He illustrates his concepts with numerous illustrations from his own ministry experience, history, literature, and movies.
The author makes it clear he is not presenting his church’s experience and asking the reader to do it like they did. He presents the principles and concepts and encourages the reader to adapt them to their own unique context.
Disclosure: I received this book free from Bethany House through the Bethany House Blogger Review Program. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review.
May 17, 2016
I read all sorts of books, they come, they're pushed on me, sent to me, given to me and occasionally I even choose some. This is one that has been on my shelves for a long time. I'd even started it once and not finished it, thought it too American and had no idea of who the author was. When you lead a very small church, books written by the mega-church pastor are not always that helpful.
Then I was given a talk from the Willow Creek Leadership Summit with Wayne Cordeiro as one of the speakers and I was challenged by his talk, which was motivational rather than exposition. So I dug this book out and set off.
For the most part I thought Doing Church as a Team was ok without saying too much new, if you've read Purpose Driven Life or the Volunteer Revolution this is more of the same but the last few chapters were full of little leadership nuggets of gold. 'You can teach what you know but you'll reproduce what you are' is a reminder of the importance of building godly character ahead of giftedness, and growth occurs downward is an interesting idea that sparked off some creative ideas to name just a few.
I appreciated the book and it's not a tough read. It's motivational and aspirational rather than teaching, or exposition in any way but that's ok. If you're thinking about teamwork and church then this could be a useful read.
Then I was given a talk from the Willow Creek Leadership Summit with Wayne Cordeiro as one of the speakers and I was challenged by his talk, which was motivational rather than exposition. So I dug this book out and set off.
For the most part I thought Doing Church as a Team was ok without saying too much new, if you've read Purpose Driven Life or the Volunteer Revolution this is more of the same but the last few chapters were full of little leadership nuggets of gold. 'You can teach what you know but you'll reproduce what you are' is a reminder of the importance of building godly character ahead of giftedness, and growth occurs downward is an interesting idea that sparked off some creative ideas to name just a few.
I appreciated the book and it's not a tough read. It's motivational and aspirational rather than teaching, or exposition in any way but that's ok. If you're thinking about teamwork and church then this could be a useful read.
October 27, 2014
Overall this book was very encouraging and inspirational to do church as a team. I'd recommend it for any church leader. Doing ministry as a team is as basic ABC. The beginning hit you hard with scripture and the characteristics of leaders who create leaders and those who control and harm new growth. There is a lot to do with motivation of the heart and some psychological characteristics of those in leadership.
I was surprised to find a popular verse out of context in this book (Mat 18:20). Especially since this is a revised edition written by an ordained pastor (gulp). I wasn't thrilled to find a couple ironic strategies and comments for mega churches looking to expand their own efforts by thousands. Seems contradictory to the Kingdom mindset of being the church as a TEAM. Church planting seems more kingdom minded and team oriented than just expanding your own effort.
Again, the book started off really strong, but by the second half I noticed a LOT of illustrations. Not necessary Biblical illustrations, just examples to get the point across. I found maybe a bit too many of these. They aren't as convincing as biblical content, and we already get the point of the book by this point.
But again, this concept is a MUST for leadership!!
I was surprised to find a popular verse out of context in this book (Mat 18:20). Especially since this is a revised edition written by an ordained pastor (gulp). I wasn't thrilled to find a couple ironic strategies and comments for mega churches looking to expand their own efforts by thousands. Seems contradictory to the Kingdom mindset of being the church as a TEAM. Church planting seems more kingdom minded and team oriented than just expanding your own effort.
Again, the book started off really strong, but by the second half I noticed a LOT of illustrations. Not necessary Biblical illustrations, just examples to get the point across. I found maybe a bit too many of these. They aren't as convincing as biblical content, and we already get the point of the book by this point.
But again, this concept is a MUST for leadership!!
July 31, 2022
If you want to learn why team is important, and how to pull your team together, this is a good place to start. A “beginner’s” book that is a comfortable read, I would recommend it. Author Wayne Cordeiro uses many real life stories, along with scripture, to explain his thoughts. Each chapter ends with a Team Preparation that will make you think and define, or redefine, your team.
Now, especially, is a great time to consider your team and make any necessary adjustments. Give this book a read. You won’t be sorry.
I received a complimentary copy of this book but was not required to leave a review.
Now, especially, is a great time to consider your team and make any necessary adjustments. Give this book a read. You won’t be sorry.
I received a complimentary copy of this book but was not required to leave a review.
August 16, 2023
He writes like a preacher, which means that most of this book is skimmable. Many, many paragraphs add no content. However, there are just as many paragraphs that contain absolute gold. Here, finally, is a book that - while it spends a good deal of space presenting well-trodden leadership and teamwork axioms, though in a very relatable way - actually presents a simple how-to guide for implementing all the wonderful ideas.
August 26, 2016
This is a book assigned by the pastor for reading at Church. He makes practical recommendations for doing Church together rather than relying completely on the pastor. There are good tips along with the necessary Bible references that back up this author's assertions.
February 24, 2023
A book that encourages you to see the best in each other and to view church as a living organism. Extremely fun read and a worthwhile read for any church planter and business leader. Also a quick read!
February 6, 2009
I had to read this for a training seminar i am enrolled in. i did enjoy Cordeiro's way of communicating some simple, yet difficult things that need done in order to transform churches.
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August 10, 2011Really good book, sort of the church planting memoirs of New Hope Fellowship. Wayne Cordeiro is one of the most encouraging people ever.
September 10, 2011
Some interesting church organization ideas.
July 11, 2012
The definitive book of our generation on "doing church as a team".
Any pastor or organizational leader who hasn't read it would be well served to get copy.
Any pastor or organizational leader who hasn't read it would be well served to get copy.
March 30, 2014
Great book.
March 5, 2017
This book has helped me to identify the balance between asking help and asking helps from the right person.
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