During the lesson, the information for you to know is written in regular type, and what we suggest speaking or reading aloud to children is in bold. All resources for this lesson, including the Teacher Guide, Student Page, Family Connection Card, and other resources can be downloaded in a ZIP file by clicking on the following link:
In some lessons you will find "resource articles." These are articles written by experts from around the world to help equip you for your work with children and adolescents. Share them with parents or guardians if you consider it appropriate.
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.
1 Peter 4:8–9
A tax collector, several fishermen, a thief, a zealot—not what you might consider the best members for a team with the goal of sharing God’s message of love and grace. But these are the men Jesus chose. As He equipped the disciples to share His message with the world, Jesus taught them to work in unity, communicate well, share responsibility, and reflect His love. And though Jesus chose the flawed and unlovable, with His wise guidance they learned and grew into one of the most powerfully effective teams the world has ever known.
Think of a team you are a member of. Are you the kind of team member who brings value to the team? Do you encourage unity and good communication with your fellow team members? Do you share the work and the honour? Does your attitude reflect God’s love? Consider how you can do more, encourage more, share more, and praise more—even when you feel like grumbling. Then thank God for giving you team members to help you with the tasks He has given you. We work better when we work together—and we work best when we allow God to lead.
Encourage the students to ask a family member, “What characteristics do you think help a team to work well together?” They can then share the characteristics of a great team member.
Teacher Tip: If possible, email or text the Family Connection Card to the families of your students.
Greet your students as they arrive. Ask them if they had any opportunities to be part of a team and how their understanding of the characteristics of a good team helped them to be better team members.
When you are ready to begin class, have the teens sit in a circle. Sit in the circle with them, so you can show them what to do as you give instructions.
We will work as a team to do something. I will give instructions, and you will follow them one at a time in a specific order. We will go around the circle. I will start the action, then the person on my right will do it, then the student on her right. We will keep repeating this until the person sitting on my left does the action. For example, I will say, “Rub your fingers together,” and I will do that action. After I have done the action, (name of teen on your right) will rub her fingers together. Then (name of teen on her right) will rub his fingers together. Once (name of teen on teacher’s left) rubs his fingers together, then I will give another instruction, and we will follow this pattern again. Continue making your action until the person next to you starts doing another action.
Give them the following instructions, 1 at a time, allowing about 10 seconds for each action:
Then say the directions and do the actions in the reverse order, until you are back to quietly rubbing your hands together.
What did that sound like? Did you recognize it as something you have heard before?
Allow 4–5 teens to share their ideas.
Because you worked well as a team, we made the sounds of a rainstorm!
Teams are made up of members, and each member has something important to contribute. When team members work together well, they can help the team to reach its goals. Let’s talk about being part of a team and learn to be valued team members.
The Bible teaches us that we work better when we work together. Teams are important, and being a valued team member can help you to accomplish more, get along better with others, and learn more.
Last time, we talked about a very effective team, Jesus and His disciples. When Jesus chose His disciples, He did not choose men who were well-known leaders or religious experts. He chose ordinary people. In fact, some of them would have even been considered outcasts. But Jesus led them as they learned and grew. And, after Jesus’ death, they continued His ministry, preaching, teaching, and advising the followers of Jesus. They shared Jesus’ message in the face of danger, threats, and even death. They were able to do so because they had learned from Jesus how to be good team members who worked well together.
There are many characteristics that make a good team member. Let’s talk about a few of them.
First, a good team member needs to work in unity with others. A team cannot accomplish its purposes if the team members do not work together toward a common goal or if they continually argue about what needs to be done. Listen to what the Bible says about being united.
If you are using the Memory Verse Poster, show it to the students.
I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.
1 Corinthians 1:10
Being unified helps a team to function well. Teams are broken down by arguments and division. They are built up with encouragement and like-mindedness. Teams that function well agree upon their goals and how they will reach them. Then they work together to accomplish their goals in unity.
But sometimes, even on teams that work well together, there is disagreement. In these situations, it is important for team members to share their points of view honestly and to listen to what others have to say. This should always be done respectfully and with attention to the ways that are appropriate to a person’s role on the team. Listen to what the Bible says about sharing opinions and listening to the opinions of others.
As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.
Proverbs 27:17
How would sharing opinions be like sharpening iron?
Allow 2–3 students to share their thoughts. Then guide them to understand that, much like you would sharpen a knife, when team members share ideas and opinions, they can help to make these ideas “sharper” and better.
How could sharing opinions honestly and respectfully help a team to function well?
How can team members share their ideas honestly and respectfully?
On a team, the best decisions are often those that are agreed upon by all members. All of the members can contribute their opinions and ideas to help the team arrive at the best conclusion. When there is a leader who is responsible to lead the team, it is important to listen respectfully to that person and to follow the directions the leader gives.
Another important quality for a good team member is learning to share the work and the honour. Listen to what the Bible tells us about this.
If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
1 Corinthians 12:26
What might be the benefits of all team members sharing the work and the honour?
Allow 2–3 teens to share their thoughts. Then guide them to understand that sharing the work and the honour builds trust and a sense of caring.
How could sharing the work and sharing the honour help a team to function well?
How can team members share the work and share the honour?
Pride and selfishness keep teams from working well together. When members are more concerned about themselves, the goals of the team become less important. A good team shares the work, ensuring that all members contribute. A good team also shares the honour, ensuring that all members are praised for the work they did individually and for their parts in helping to reach the team’s goal. This happens when the members of a team care about each other and try to do what is right for the whole team, not just themselves.
Finally, the members of a good team work together with a positive attitude. Listen to something else the Bible says about working with others.
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.
1 Peter 4:8–9
When we have a positive attitude, we can help our team to work well together. We can also help others to have more positive attitudes by showing them how to find joy in their work and in their contributions to the team.
In our community, there are many effective teams doing all kinds of work. Some of these teams work well together. They are able to accomplish their goals and work with unity and share the honour and glory. It is exciting to be a part of a team that is doing important work and doing it well. When you are part of a team like this, being a good team member helps your team to become even better.
But some teams are less effective because they are broken down by disagreements, pride, selfishness, and confusion. It can be frustrating to be part of a team like this. Often tasks are not accomplished and members do not work well together. Even if you are part of a team like this, you can still choose to be a good team member. Your efforts to bring unity and a positive attitude and to share the work and the honour may seem like they do not make a difference. But, slowly, they may begin to help others on the team to change. You can pray and ask God to help you to be a good example and to give you the strength and patience to do your work well even in a difficult situation.
Think about what you think is the most important characteristic of a team that works well together. When I tell you to begin, walk around the room and find others who think the same characteristic is the most important. As you find others who agree with you, you will move together as a group and try to collect other members.
When you find a person or group that does not agree with your choice, discuss your thoughts with that person or group. You will share your opinion and listen to the other person’s or group’s opinions and try to persuade that person or group to choose the same characteristic you did. Be sure you discuss these ideas respectfully and appropriately.
Begin!
Give the students about 10 minutes to walk around and gather with those who agree with them and work to convince those who do not. Then gather the whole class together and ask them the following questions:
When we learn to work together in unity, when we share our thoughts honestly and respectfully, when we share the work and the honour, and when we work together with a positive attitude, we can learn to be excellent team members who are part of excellent teams.
Think about a team you are part of. What is 1 thing you can do to make your team better? What part can you play in helping your team to succeed? Ask God to help you to do what you can to make your team better!
Optional: If you are using the Student Pages, the students can do this activity on their pages.
Give the students 2 minutes to think of their ideas. Then close with a blessing based on 1 Corinthians 12:24–26:
Blessing: May you give honour to all those around you, and may you show care for one another. May you rejoice together at the great work God is doing in your lives.
Lead the children in singing this quarter’s song, if possible.
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