Teams That Thrive: Five Disciplines of Collaborative Church Leadership

Readers' Choice Award Winner

Outreach Magazine's Resources of the Year

It's increasingly clear that leadership should be shared―for the good of any organization and for the good of the leader. Many churches have begun to share key leadership duties, but don't know how to take their leadership team to the point where it thrives. Others seriously need a new approach to leadership: pastors are tired, congregations are stuck, and meanwhile the work never lets up.

But what does it actually mean to do leadership well as a team? How can it be done in a way that avoids frustration and burnout? How does team leadership best equip the staff and bless a congregation? What do the top church teams do to actually thrive together?

Researchers and practitioners Ryan Hartwig and Warren Bird have discovered churches of various sizes and traditions throughout the United States who have learned to thrive under healthyteam leadership. Using actual church examples, they present their discoveries here, culminating in five disciplines that, if implemented, can enable your team to thrive. The result? A coaching tool for senior leadership teams that enables strugglingteams to thrive, and resources teams doing well to do their work even better.

Ryan T. Hartwig serves as provost and vice president of academic affairs at Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, California. He is also the author of Teams That Thrive (with Warren Bird) and Leading Small Groups That Thrive.

Warren Bird is research director for Leadership Network and has authored or coauthored over twenty books for ministry leaders, including Teams That Thrive (with Ryan T. Hartwig).