A letter from Sue and Ted Wright in Zambia
July 8, 2009
Teamwork
“Imagine a football team, my friends, where the goalkeeper envies the strikers. Strikers get all the glory, he imagines. ‘Me? People notice me mainly when I fail.’ So this keeper decides he must score a goal as well. He leaves his area and begins to dribble up the field.
“Now, what is going to happen to that team?” I ask.
“They will no doubt lose the game,” everyone answers.
“Right! And so will we, if we don’t cooperate. Remember, your teammate’s success is your success. We must all win together … or we shall all lose together.”
The church in Mbala, northern Zambia, where on the first weekend of June a group of 55 church leaders gathered to learn about teamwork.
I am addressing a group of 55 pastors, elders and evangelists in a town called Mbala. It’s near the Tanzanian border, a two-day drive from Lusaka. At least I have a reliable vehicle. The others have come from surrounding rural areas by bicycle and minibus, over pathways and dirt roads. Last night they slept on a cold church floor. Few had any blankets, let alone enough to eat. Yet here they are this morning, eager to learn, Bibles open, with note pads and pencils, simply thankful for the chance.
And what is the theme of my teaching today?
As always, it’s an issue local people struggle to name. In this case, teamwork — or the lack thereof — among different kinds of Christian workers. Ideally, an evangelist should be planting new stations: forging ahead, preaching the gospel, organizing prayer groups, challenging local wrongs (like witchcraft, drunkenness, promiscuity, polygamy, wife-beating, thievery and defilement of children). The pastor should follow: teaching, baptizing, resourcing local leaders, holding believers more accountable. And the elder remains to oversee the young church after the evangelist departs and while the pastor is busy elsewhere. Most of the pastors I’m speaking to serve widely scattered places. Elders live in residence and manage daily affairs.
Think: evangelist=striker, pastor=midfielder, elder=defender. It’s not a perfect analogy, but adequate.
When everyone cooperates, the whole team succeeds. But unfortunately, on the field of mission they often thwart each other.
So to help them communicate better, I ask questions like:
- How would you describe the purpose of your role within the total mission all of us share?
- What do you want your want teammates to understand and/or appreciate concerning your challenges?
- How can your teammates help you succeed?
- What can you do to be more helpful to your teammates?
If I manage to establish an atmosphere of trust, it’s amazing to hear what follows. Pastors confess to feeling jealous because evangelists often preach with greater power. Pastors fear that elders may divert scarce resources toward these evangelists at the expense of the pastor’s salary. Evangelists fear taking bold initiatives because pastors or elders may not support them. Meanwhile, elders complain that they carry heavy loads without any training. All freely admit that they tend to focus on themselves to the exclusion of Jesus Christ and the people he wants to reach.
After the retreat, the workshop leaders — the Revs. Phiri, Mwale and Wright — visited a waterfall about an hour outside Mbala.
By the end of our workshop — a day and a half filled with singing, teaching, small groups and prayer — I can feel a change of spirit. Moreover, I know that now each team has a plan. I have asked all the pastors to sit down with their elders and evangelists and set concrete goals. For most, it’s the first time they have ever worked like this. Finally, they are meeting, not as strangers or competitors, but as players on the same winning team.
Africans have a proverb: “It’s the visitor who kills the snake.” Those who come from outside often prevail against problems that insiders miss.
To me, it’s an honor to serve in such a capacity. Still, I wonder how willing most Americans might be to put the shoe on the other foot, to allow African partners a whack at a couple snakes. In my experience, they have excellent aim. For example, I remember when a pastor from Zimbabwe started his sermon this way: “I see that you Americans have awkward feelings about your wealth.” From that moment on, you could hear a pin drop. He had named the very conflict that many of my parishioners shared, but failed to articulate (or else didn’t want to). He went on to talk about satisfactions that derive from participation in the life of church and community.
Teamwork. It’s one of the greatest gifts that all of us have to offer and receive.
Yours faithfully,
The Rev. Ted Wright
The 2009 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 43
