Leading as a Team
by Lyn Green

I used to think I was a good leader.

We were pioneering a new YWAM base and it was growing fast. My wife, Marti, had served as Loren's secretary and had managed the YWAM office in California for a couple of years. As I leaned into her administrative expertise, I thought we were a complete team.

After just two or three years, our staff numbers had grown to more than 50 and we were quickly outgrowing every property we could rent. Then Ken Wright came along with a message that mystified me. He taught on the importance of team leadership. He pointed out that Jesus left a team in place, not just one person.

I looked at Acts 15, one of the passages he was teaching from, and saw how the apostles worked together. That chapter continues to amaze me.

The fledgling Church was facing the crisis that threatened to tear it apart. There were very influential Jewish leaders who were insisting that Jesus had come to create converts to Judaism. But Paul and others were deeply and emotionally committed to oppose those leaders and their arguments.

In the face of this crisis, they somehow knew that they had to get the whole team of leaders together and sort it out. Paul and Barnabas made the long journey from Antioch to Jerusalem so they could meet with the team that Jesus had put together—and those, like themselves, whom the Holy Spirit had added since Jesus had ascended into heaven.

How did they know who was on the team? It must have been by noting the fruit of their ministry and the quality of their lives. So, though Jesus had not personally discipled Barnabas and Paul during his three years of ministry, they were given a place of influence when the team met together.

As the debate and drama unfolded, it seems that James led the meeting, rather than Peter, who had just as prominent a role as the public voice of the apostles in Jerusalem. But there is no doubt that Peter's opinion carried a lot of weight. Then, the stories that Paul and Barnabas told underscored Peter's opinion. Finally, James summed up what they all felt the Holy Spirit was saying. They had made a very difficult and historic decision—the good news about Jesus is for the redemption of all peoples within their cultures. It is not about initiating converts into Jewish customs and law. What an outstanding example of great leadership! And, as you read on, you can see how well they communicated and implemented their decision.

It was all about team leadership. As I read it, those many years ago, I couldn't deny that fact. But I couldn't see any other leaders on my staff. I began to pray that God would send me some leaders, rather than the "immature" people who were already on staff.

Eventually, I realized that God was sending me leaders—but they had to be developed. I had to give them responsibilities, make room for them and support them. Some years later, I understood that I had lost a lot of very good people because I had so little pastoral ability and failed to support people when they needed it.

As the work of YWAM in England grew, I became aware of many other weaknesses. I was not very good at managing our base. I couldn't run the training base and pioneer other teams at the same time. Others were better at evangelism than I was. Soon, it became very obvious that our leadership was much stronger when we added people with strengths and gifts that were different than mine.

Now I know that God has given me the ability to lead a good team, as long as I do so in humility and lean into the strengths of others. I am still convinced that every team needs a leader, but like in Acts 15, a really mature team might have different leaders for different situations.

One of our values says, "YWAM is called to function in teams in all aspects of ministry and leadership." In the pioneering stages of a team or ministry, it might not be possible to have a leadership team, but any leader should pray and work to form a team as soon as possible.

So, I used to think I was a good leader. Now, I know that no one can lead well alone. God made us so that we need others, so that we are incomplete without others to work alongside us. Happy team building!

--Lynn Green is YWAM's International Chairman

Published in: International YWAMer, June-September, 2007