Those who know me know that what I’m about to say is comedic. I used to work in construction. No joke. I did. It was short lived, maybe twelve to fifteen months, but I was all-in for that time, mostly. I was wiring in-construction homes with alarms and sound systems. (I don’t want to worry any homeowners, so I’ll avoid mentioning the company name.)
I can’t say that I enjoyed it. I’m a clean freak. When I arrived at a job site, it usually looked like a construction giant had vomited all over the property, and then it rained on everything. The ground was muddy and uneven. Tire tracks from heavy trucks carved holes around the homesite. In the middle sat a concrete slab with plastic pipes sticking out while a feeble wood frame hinted at walls and floors. It was far from finished. In fact, it barely resembled a livable home.
But somewhere, rolled up inside a superintendent’s office, was a large set of blueprints. The blueprint showed what the house would eventually become. It gave shape to the chaos. At times, contractors like me would need to stop what we were doing and look at the blueprint again to make sure our work aligned with the final vision.
Church planting can feel the same way.
In the early stages of building a team, everything can feel unfinished and uncertain. The materials, I mean the people, may not fully understand how they fit together yet. They may not know what kind of church or ministry culture is forming around them. Different personalities, experiences, expectations, gifts, strengths, and wounds all get pulled onto the same job site at the same time. At first glance, it can feel messy.
But God is not guessing.
Jesus said, “I will build my church” (Matt. 16:18). That means He has the blueprint. He knows exactly what He is building and why He has brought particular people together for the work. He knows how the experiences, gifts, burdens, convictions, and even weaknesses of a team can fit together to accomplish something meaningful for His kingdom.
The challenge is that most teams never slow down long enough to think about these things intentionally.
Many church plants launch quickly into logistics, branding, gatherings, systems, and responsibilities before they ever spend meaningful time understanding the people God has assembled. In many cases, teams know how to work beside one another before they know how to understand one another. Eventually, cracks begin to surface. Expectations collide. Communication weakens. People become disconnected from the mission or from one another.
Strong teams rarely happen accidentally.
Over the last several years, I’ve become increasingly convinced that healthy missional teams require intentional formation before they require rapid movement. Before walls go up, foundations must be laid. Before ministries expand outward, people must be shaped inwardly. Teams need space to reflect, listen, understand, and grow together.
That conviction eventually became Built on Purpose, a workbook designed to help church planters and ministry leaders form missional teams through theological reflection, self-awareness, discussion, and shared mission. The goal is not corporate team-building or personality analysis for its own sake. The goal is to help leaders understand how God has shaped people for kingdom work and how those people can faithfully labor together.
Before ministries expand outward, people must be shaped inwardly.
Over the next several weeks, I want to walk through some of the foundational ideas behind the book. We’ll explore topics like calling, discipleship, leadership dynamics, spiritual gifts, fears, mission, and team formation. My hope is that these posts help church planters and ministry leaders think more intentionally about the people God has entrusted to them.
Because somewhere beneath the noise, uncertainty, and unfinished framing, God is building something on purpose.
Do you know how God has shaped you and your team for His mission?
Download this workbook to guide your team through twelve exercises that will bring unity, clarity, and vision to your mission work.
