[This is a post in a series on Building a Strong Team.]

By this point you have hopefully realized the need for a team around you and you have begun to recruit a strong team.  So where do you go from here?  Having a great team requires more than having great people.  A great team is well equipped for the task.  How do you go about training and equipping your team for maximum impact?  Here are three thoughts as you begin equipping your team:

1.  When training your team you need to be intentional.

Training and equipping your team does not happen automatically.  Effective training requires being intentional with your team.  What you train your team on will vary from context to context and as time goes.  Block out some time to think through what your team needs to be trained in and create a schedule.  Are there topics that your ministry seems to be addressing often?  Are there issues that your teens are facing that your team needs to be better equipped to handle?  Ask your team what topics they feel they need training on.  Only you can answer these questions in your context.  The important thing though is to be intentional with training your team.

2. When training your team you need to be consistent.

In order for your training with your team to be effective it must be consistent and it must happen often.  Again, this will look different in every context.  Will you meet monthly?  Will you meet quarterly?  Will you take a retreat for more intense training?  The key here if you have never been consistent with training your team is to start slow.  Do not come out guns blazing.  This will only leave your team frustrated and confused.  Start slow and be consistent.  Also, trainings do not have to be “meetings.”  You can informally train throughout your regular events and ministries.  Have a short “training” before your next retreat or camp.  Be creative.  Just be consistent in your training.

3. When training your team you need to use resources other than you.

We have already covered the fact you cannot do it all in ministry.  Here again, you cannot be the expert in training your team in every area they need (or you need).  Sure, there are a lot of things that you can and should be training your team on.  If there are areas though that you can bring someone else in to help you with…do it!  Ask a local Christian Counselor to come in and help in training your leaders on counseling hurting teens or with how to deal with a teen who is struggling with self-harm.  Seek out and find training resources such as books, DVD helps, etc. if need be.  There are so many great resources and people available to help in training your team.  Use every resource you can.  Oh, and make your training fun.  Your team will be better for it.

What is your approach to training your team?  What other considerations would you add to these?

[This is a post in a series on Building a Strong Team.]

Photo via sxc.hu/vierdrie