3 Reasons Why Your Church Staff Team Needs An Office

For many churches, especially young church plants, having a place to call a workspace can be tough to come by.  Young churches and portable churches tend to rely on technology to keep their teams connected, but I think there is a relevant case for having your team all in one place. Here are 3 of the best reasons.

1. Collaboration

Isolation can be toxic for church staffs.

If your team is working from home or satellite offices, they are left relying on their own ideation and creative ability, which can put some (or all) of your church in a toxic setting. When your team can give creative input to each other, you aren’t leaving parts of your church relying on one individual. After all, ministry is a team effort.

Collaboration minimizes the risk of falling into a silo culture, allowing each person to give valuable input, from top to bottom.

Would moving your team into one place help tear down silos?

2. Agility

In today's fast-moving culture, teams with agility win. Although some may see being a satellite team as the best way to remain agile, I would make the case against that. For larger teams (and teams that rely on part time staff), having one place for your team to meet allows your team to remain nimble and act quickly.

Whether you're changing your children’s ministry curriculum or the worship team's set list, being able to pivot and change course quickly can be crucial for your team. Having an in-house staff team can help these changes run smoothly.

Would having your team in one place help you as a church be agile?

3. Improvement

Team improvement builds from collaboration.

When your team can collaborate effectively, improvement can be easier and more effective. 

When people hear “improvement” they assume something is inherently wrong, but that is not the case. At Vanderbloemen Search Group, we value feedback from churches we serve, both good and bad. When we serve a church well, we want to know how we can serve them even better. And if there is something that could have gone better, we want to improve it immediately. 

The same can be true for your church staff. As you look back on your previous service(s), opening the floor to constructive feedback will help you better prepare for future services. The best environment for this to happen is an open space with all employees present and engaged. 

By having a satellite team, are you able to improve quickly and with the upmost quality? 

Bringing it all together:

These three benefits of a physical workspace play off each other. When you are able to sit in the same room and collaborate, you increase the likelihood of quality ideation. And as great ideas begin to flow, you are able to begin implementation quickly with your team by your side. Finally, as you step back and look at ways to improve on those ideas, your team is able to improve quickly.

What if you can’t afford an office? Or you don’t have enough space? Or most of your team is volunteers or part time? 

Start small. Implement some set “office” hours. This is some time during the week when your entire team can be in the same place to prepare for the coming services. Even if it means you’re meeting in the pastor’s kitchen!

What are some other ways you can begin bringing your team together?