At Bethany International (BI), we believe that teamwork is a key component to success on the mission field. As Andrew Carnegie once said:
“Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.” – Andrew Carnegie
BI missionaries recognize the importance of teamwork within an organization and share their views and experiences in the video below.
In an interview with three BI missionaries who are currently serving in Ghana, Kenya, and Mexico, we posed the following question: “What did you learn during your time at Bethany Global University that was most helpful?”.
Sam Duyna, a BGU Alumni currently serving in Ghana, was the first to answer by stating that one of the greatest things he learned during his time at BGU was the importance of teamwork and “working together and forming a team because, on the field, a team (on this earth) is a church.”
Tim Kelly, a BGU Alumni serving in Kenya, added his thoughts as he states that “the thing about being a missionary in the field is that you need to learn to work with people. We’re all a part of the body of Christ, right? But not everybody likes to work in a team, and not everybody can work together or know how to work together.”
Kerry Olson, a BGU Alumni working in Mexico, says that the biggest thing he took away from Bethany was learning how to work in a team atmosphere by “just working in a team together – in your PT assignment, and in interactions with the staff. The staff lives on campus, and have breakfast, lunch, and dinner with the students, which is really one of the best ways to do discipleship.”
Tim went on to say that, during his time at BGU, he learned how to work in a team environment through day-to-day interactions in his Practical Training assignment, classes, and community life. He states that it “was a huge factor when it comes to the field because you have to work with people.”
Sam went on to explain that there are many benefits to working within a team, including “diversity and strength, and as you are working in a team, you will have all you need to function well. Teamwork, the whole idea of working together, that’s the key”.
Tim ends out the video by identifying that one of the biggest reasons missionaries come off of the field is their lack of success working within a team atmosphere. He states that “they get frustrated and they can’t go forward, so the end up coming back. Well, BGU is training you how to do that and how to be successful – on the field, in another culture, and with other people.”
Teamwork is one of the major keys to success in ministry. When people come together to work towards one common goal under one shared vision, it makes a powerful impact for the Kingdom of God. As we seek to fulfill the Great Commission and make the name of Jesus famous across the face of the earth, it is important for us to remember that, as Helen Keller once said:
“Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.” – Helen Keller