God Himself does not work alone. Various members of the Trinity are always found working together in God’s redemptive plan (John 1, 14, Eph. 1:17, 1 Pet. 1:2). Likewise, when God and the Apostles sent people out for ministry, they did so “two by two” (Matt. 21:1-2, Mark 6:7, 14:13, Luke 10:1, Acts 9:38, 13:4, 19:22). These facts exhort us to seek out partners in ministry. This short article suggests ways to do just that.
First, forming a Life Team (LT) in your church brings together people of like mind and passion for God-honoring and God-reflecting ministry. Whether your LT is just forming, or is already formed, we suggest enfolding independently-operating life-affirming agency liaisons (“liaison”) into your LT, too.
A liaison is a person identified and trained by a life-affirming agency (e.g. a local crisis pregnancy center) to champion that agency’s agenda within that church. Such liaisons are often passionate people who love the Lord and desire what a LT desires - to equip their church as a champion of life. Besides the facts cited in the first paragraph, here are several more reasons why liaisons should be enfolded into or come together to form a LT in a church.
1. INCREASED CREDIBILITY & TRUST
LTs work hard to build trust with their pastoral oversight and congregation that provides a credible platform for ongoing ministry. Enfolding liaisons enables them to contribute to and stand upon the LT’s platform of credibility and trust, maximizing her agency’s ministry in the church.
2. HEIGHTENED SYNERGY
Once enfolded onto the LT, the independent liaison can bring her expertise to the LT and the LT can bring their expertise to her. Both benefit and life ministry becomes more comprehensive and effective at the church.
3. AMPLIFIED SPIRITUAL SAFETY
Though a liaison is usually supported by their sending agency, they are spiritually safer if they are also supported internally at their church (i.e. their “field”). In-field support – by being on the church’s LT – provides essential real-time spiritual covering, protection, and encouragement essential to long-term, balanced ministry.
4. COORDINATED MESSAGING
Enfolding liaisons into the LT enables the Team to coordinate life-affirming initiatives and messages to maximize impact consistently over time.
5. STRENGTHENED ACCOUNTABILITY
Trust is nourished by accountability, which in turn builds a relational platform for ongoing ministry. When a liaison becomes part of a LT, they honor this important dynamic and communicate their willingness to be internally accountable to church leadership – which, again, builds trust and strengthens effectiveness.
The common thread in the five points above is this: maximized ministry for everybody! To experience maximized ministry, we recommend the roadmap below to enfold liaisons at your church into your LT.
- Explain this recommendation to the LT, and your pastors if necessary. Agree on the basic principles and on this roadmap.
- Identify liaisons in your congregation that labor on behalf of life-affirming agencies. If you need help identifying liaisons, ask your pastoral oversight who they are.
- Share the recommendation and reasons for coming onto the LT personally with each liaison. Use the five reasons, above. It is likely they will be glad you asked them to come onto the LT.
- Invite the liaison to a LT meeting as an observer.
- Require the liaison (as you should with any prospective new LT member) to complete Churches for Life’ (CFL) Life Team 101 to get in sync with LT principles. Check CFL’s calendar at www.getintolife.org for dates for the next live training, or to order the training on DVD.
- Make sure that the person meets any other requirements you or your church has set for LT Membership, besides their completing Life Team 101.
- Invite the newly-enfolded liaison, now a LT member, to share her particular area of expertise with the Team, and the foci of the agency she represents.
- Share the Team’s existing mission, strategies, and goals with the newly-enfolded person/liaison.
- Pray and discuss as a Team how God might weave the newly-enfolded liaison’s strengths into the existing mission, strategies, and goals of the LT.
We pray that ministry is maximized and God is honored as you work together as a Team of gospel-driven champions of life within your church. If you have any questions about this article, or to get help navigating this process, please contact Churches for Life at info@getintolife.org.