How can you tell when a ministry team is fully connected to the group’s vision and mission—and also committed to each other? Evaluate your teams to see if they demonstrate the six telltale signs of healthy, functioning teams.

Look for these characteristics:

1. Team members demonstrate a high degree of comfort and informality when interacting. Formal procedures are one thing but that doesn’t mean the environment needs to be stuffy.

2. Meetings run on schedule but often people stick around to socialize. Do your team members run to their car when the meeting is over, or do they spend some time talking and getting better acquainted afterwards?

3. Disagreements between team members are voiced and received nondefensively. Develop a team culture that communicates “we can agree to disagree.”

4. Team members enjoy spending time with each other outside of meetings. Leaders need to be intentional in providing opportunities for people to experience Biblical community outside the meeting setting. “All work and no play”…sends the message that you aren’t valued for who you are, but what you do.

5. Attendance is consistent and team members rarely miss meetings. Frequent absenteeism is a sure sign that team members are starting to disengage.