How To Build A Winning Team. Serving God Together

Matts-Ola Ishoel

The book you hold in your hands is the result of the wisdom and experience gained from almost thirty years of ministry. It can be used for individual and group study and as educational material for team development.

"Whatever we are called to do, we are called to do it together with other people. No one serves God alone."

His church is a body composed of different members, and teamwork is built into the very essence of the church. Leaders focused on the development of a team will achieve much more than those who work alone. Wisdom will increase and gifts and talents will be revealed when people with different characters serve God in unity. This book will help you understand the dynamics of building a team and inspire you to focus more on team development, regardless of whether or not you are a leader today.

Matts-Ola Ishoel

How To Build A Winning Team. Serving God Together

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in book review.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Word of Life church is Local Religious Organization Word of Life Bible Centre of Christians of Evangelical Faith

В© Published in English language by Golden Pages Private Institution Publishing Centre

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MATTS-OLA ISHOEL is the senior pastor and president of Word of Life Bible Center in Moscow, and the president of Churches of Faith Russian Association. Under his leadership, Word of Life church has grown every year and now has over 4,000 members. The church is active in social, charitable, youth, publishing and missionary ministries. Matts-Ola Ishoel is married and has four children adopted from Russia.

Introduction

One of the greatest blessings God has given me is the privilege to serve Him together with a great team of leaders in Word of Life Moscow. The men and women of this team have become my best friends. Together we have experienced both victories and setbacks, but most of all we have seen God’s protecting and guiding hand over the work we are a part of.

I believe that in some way, every leader should continuously build a team of other leaders with whom he serves God. Whatever we are called to do, we are called to do it together with other people. No one serves God alone. His church is a body consisting of different members, and teamwork is built into the very essence of the church. When leaders develop teams that minister together, they build strength and stability into the church, and they give opportunity for growth and training.

A church can be organized in many ways, with different interpretations of leadership positions. But whether you belong to an Episcopal, Presbyterian, or Congregational organization, I believe this book can be equally helpful. Teams can function everywhere, we just need to adapt to the order of the church we are a part of.

Leaders who are skilled in team building will accomplish so much more than those who work alone. Wisdom will increase and gifts and talents will thrive when people of different personalities serve God in unity.

Though many see and understand this, there is often a lack of clear understanding about how this should be done. I believe many pastors and leaders work too spontaneously, and could be much more effective with a clearer plan of how to create, develop and work in a team.

It is my prayer that this book will help you to understand the dynamics of a great team and inspire you to focus more on team development – whether or not you are in a leadership position right now. Very often we are in fact both; we serve under some authority together with others, and at the same time we are also leaders in a ministry, branch or cell group in the church.

The principles I share in this book are the result of what The Holy Spirit has shown me during almost 30 years of pastoring. As the years have passed,