As kids, we were taught the joys of cooperation. It’s what makes teamwork work. It’s how we find the best in each other. It’s how we resolve conflict and get along with each other. But applying the principle of cooperation in a business, ministry leadership or multi-staff church setting can actually stifle growth.

One key to successful church staff leadership is the ability to get people with different personalities, passions and priorities on the same page. The overriding principle in these situations has been cooperation. The goal is for each staff member and department in the church to work together toward a single vision. But how do we handle the friction that usually comes from that mixture?

With cooperation, the name of the game is “get along.” If two departments are in conflict, the senior pastor or an associate must step in to work through the differences. The goal is to eliminate friction, not necessarily work towards a common vision. This may mean you may become a referee rather than a vision leader.

How teams work through cooperation can also hamper the overall effectiveness of the church. Differences in approaches can create difficulty in execution. When one department’s goals conflict with another department’s purposes, just eliminating friction doesn’t resolve the problem. Instead, staff members tend to retreat to their silos and find ways to work around the mission and vision of the church rather than work together to achieve a common goal.

Don’t Cooperate. Collaborate!
Over the last decade, businesses have begun adopting a collaboration model of staffing and leadership. Instead of simply guiding department heads to cooperate with one another, constant collaboration from the beginning produces positive results while reducing unforeseen back end problems.

We often think of collaboration and cooperation as synonyms, but there are slight differences. If cooperation means getting along, then think of collaboration as getting together. Teams that collaborate start a project on the same page, sharing mutual goals and resources, and pushing toward one goal. Teams that cooperate work in isolation until conflict arises.

Take for instance the simple task of planning. Changes in schedules, event criteria or content can trigger other changes in other departments. In a cooperation mode, those changes won’t become evident until the worst possible moment. Collaboration ensures that those hidden problems get uncovered more quickly and handled more effectively.

Teams that collaborate start a project on the same page, sharing mutual goals and resources, and pushing toward one goal.

So, why don’t more teams use collaboration? Successful collaboration takes a strong leader and willing staff members. It also involves trade-offs, allocating resources and funds to what is most important. That means that most times people don’t get what they want. A staff member may have to forgo serving in their sweet spot to assist in a project for another department.

Collaboration also involves releasing people into their individual gift-set while still reigning them in on big idea thinking. Staff members with high leadership skills often work best independently. Collaboration may hamper their free spirit. It takes a steady balance of excellence and independence from your staff.

Putting It Into Practice
The hurdles for creating a culture of collaboration can be difficult, but the benefits are incredible. Successful church planters often put people into key leadership positions based on their ability to collaborate across multiple departments. That means they can operate with a lean staff and still execute excellent results. Churches that have proven track records of growth exhibit staff members who not only get along with each other but also keep the main goal of the whole organization front and center.

Although the task may seem large, it only takes a few baby steps to start. Here are some examples:

• Cooperation means asking your worship pastor to play “Oceans” this weekend since you’re preaching on Jesus walking on the water. Collaboration involves sitting down with your worship pastor to go over the upcoming series, deciding together how best to lead the response time so that the entire worship set supports that moment.
• Cooperation means telling your children and student directors that since you’re starting a building campaign you need them to teach on Nehemiah. Collaboration involves meeting with them to help you research the upcoming parenting series.
• Cooperation means handing your associate pastor a list of important dates and telling them to fill it in with activities. Collaboration involves meeting together as a staff to draft a calendar that meets each need of the individual departments while still promoting the mission of the church.

A multifunctioning church will have specialized departments to oversee the small details of weekly goals while at the same time directing how their area fits into the overall mission. Teams that collaborate with the senior pastor and each other don’t have to sacrifice the former for the latter. Ultimately the mission and vision of the church must be guarded and guided by the senior pastor. Collaboration allows you to continually assess, fine-tune and implement that vision in real time.