Getting people to work together is not easy; but it’s worth the effort.  

I have been at this for many years.  I served in churches, non-profit organizations, and businesses.  My main objective has always been to help people learn the value and benefits of working together.

When people really get on the same page, great things can happen!  This is especially true in community work.  I have spent a lot of time working on community projects.  I truly enjoy working with people with different giftings, passions, and expertise.  I’ve had the pleasure of serving as “architect” for many community projects that have touched the lives of thousands of people.

Tina told me that CharityTracker has been the catylst for getting people to work together.  She said, "For the first time in history, we have found common denominators that have rallied community service providers; an online tool that’s easy-to-understand, simple to use, and inexpensive."

So, if you want to get people to work together, find those common denominators that make it easy for people to come together.  Find their common interests or passions that everyone values.  Find a valid reason for working together that makes sense; a "win-win" situation for all.

Helen Keller once wrote, "Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." 

These words resonate within my soul.  They have become my mission in life – to help people discover the benefits of working together for common purposes.

This is especially true for community service providers; those who help meet the needs of people during times of crisis and despair.  Every community is faced with this enormous challenge.  So, would it not make good sense to share the responsibility?

Just think what would happen if every community service provider suddenly began working together.  By this, I refer to churches, non-profit charities, and social service government agencies.  Suddenly, service providers would say, “Count on us to help.  We don’t care who gets the credit for acts of service.  We simply want to see all the people within our entire community benefit from our working together.”

If this was to truly happen within a community, no one would go hungry; no one would go without shelter and clothes.  No one would feel alone in their sorrow or desperate situation.

I believe this can happen in any community in America if we would follow Henry Ford’s simple formula for success.

"Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success." 
-Henry Ford

Service providers should start by “talking” with other service providers in their community.  Get to know each other; after all, service providers have the same passion and burden to help people.  This is true, regardless of what name appears on the organization’s letterhead.  They all have the same mission.

The second step is a little more difficult.  Service providers should make considerable effort to build relationships with each other.  This may mean cutting through all the busyness and noise in our own organizational environment; finding time to gather together with others from different organizations.  Luncheons, casual visits, telephone conversations, and roundtable discussions are all good ways to build friendships that lead to working relationships.

Another way to stay together is to find a "common tool” that helps facilitate an on-going working relationship.  One that helps all community service providers stay “connected” in communications, collaborate, and shared case management.  This progressive step with ultimately lead to a better understanding of needs and a focused approach to care.  This can happen through a web-based software solution that everyone has access to and really likes.

The third step in actually working together will provide a broad-based solution for care that covers the entire community.  Everyone benefits.  Service providers can now share responsibility. No one is overwhelmed.  More resources are identified for meeting needs.  Referrals are easily found.  Recipients are given proper care.  No one “falls through the cracks”.

This shared working environment will also cut back on duplication of services and combat benevolence fraud.  This saves organizations time and money. The right resources get into the right hands.

Another great benefit of a shared working environment is innovation.  Innovation happens as we capitalize on knowledge-sharing, which becomes a powerful asset.  I’ve come to realize that all of us are smarter than any one of us.  This then leads to a collective-knowing, which serves as a catalyst for community-driven solutions with creative applications for other areas of concerns.

By working together, community service providers can find hope in transforming their community from the inside out.  Instead of only seeing problems, needs, and deficiencies, the focus can shift to solutions and assets. 

This ignites progress and growth.

 I talk a lot about “relational synergism” – people working together for greater purposes realized only through concerted efforts. 

My hopes are that more and more people within the Body of Christ will venture beyond “themselves” and into cooperative working relationships with others; becoming powerful instruments for ministry in the Lord’s hands.

Relational synergism helps people “connect", build relationships, and make a difference…together.  In a relational synergistic environment, people are changed and challenged.  This sets the stage for life-giving transformation that impacts people and their community.

The powerful impact of relational synergism is a rare occurrence.  Only two out of ten teams (groups) of people will experience relational synergism.  Why?  Because getting people to work together is hard work.  Most people tend to be self-focused rather than others-focused.  A “what’s in it for me” attitude has legitimacy; but if not properly balanced, it can sabotage synergy.

Synergy means “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”  In relational synergism people must be “willing” to harness the power of their independent nature and channel its energy into an organic, progressive process of interdependence.  Common purposes and goals are much greater than individual accomplishments.

This doesn’t mean that we lose our individual identity or our personal hopes and dreams.  It simply means that I will get what I want; and probably more, if I am willing to help others get what they want as well.  This becomes a "win-win" situation for us all.  And if we can brave the oftentimes stormy process of the synergistic environment, we will venture into unimaginable results in our cooperative efforts.

Relational synergism is all about people and good relationships.  For those who wish to experience the power and potential of a synergistic environment, I encourage you to get ready for a “paradigm shift” in your life.  You may discover that relational synergism is something that you have only caught a glimpse of, but never experienced.

I strongly encourage you to venture out into deeper waters of personal experience and invite others to join you.  Once experienced, relational synergism becomes very compelling and beseeches return visits time and time again.

I would also like to recommend three books that will educate you on the value of a synergistic environment:

The Performance Factor: Unlocking the Secrets of Teamwork

By Pat MacMillan

The Wisdom of Teams: Creating the High-Performance Organization
by Jon R. Katzenback and Douglas K. Smith

Seven Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change
by Stephen R. Covey

I once heard someone say, “Set your sights upon a vision that can only be accomplished by God’s divine intervention.” 

Well, that’s exactly what we have done.  We have built a ministry model that will not succeed except God makes it happen.

We have the mindset:  “Pray as if everything depends upon God; work as if everything depends on you.”  We have worked hard at developing “power tools” that help empower the Body of Christ.  We firmly believe that these tools are God-inspired. 

Our company, which we define as a marketplace ministry, crossed the threshold into a whole new realm of biblical dynamics a couple of weeks ago.  We came to a crossroads in our journey of faith and mission. 

Further discussions with the investor revealed that he wanted controlling interest in our company, and he wanted to bring another person in to oversee operations.  We also learned that all he wanted was our technology and big profits.  He did not share in our ministry purposes or mission.

Call us crazy, but we simply turned him down.  We did not want to “sell our souls” and sell-out our ministry passion for the sake of money.  We believe that you cannot buy God’s favor with man.

We believe God was testing us.  I believe we passed the test. 

A well-established and very influential Christian ministry called us wanting to partner with us in the future development of their ministry and ours. They also want to work together with us in building internet ministry tools that will soon impact the lives of millions of people, worldwide.  We will pool our resources and covenant to work together in creating synergistic solutions for building up the Body of Christ.

We will share more, as plans unfold.

I spent the whole weekend writing the language of "cooperation".

I am a lot like Col. John "Hannibal" Smith of the hit TV series, the A-Team.  There was always a part in the show when Col. Smith would utter this phrase, "I love it when a plan comes together!"

This simple phrase best describes my philosophy of work.  "Plan your work and work your plan" is one of my mottos.  Some people might find this quite boring, but I don’t.  Actually I get great pleasure in it.

Reading is my passion! 

Over the course of 27 years, I’ve read countless number of books on various topics.  I enjoy everything from great Christian “classics” to modern, contemporary literature.  It’s not uncommon for me to have two or three books going at the same time.

Kim (my wife) and I truly enjoy going to the Christian bookstore.  Once inside, we tend to go in different directions.  She starts with new arrivals and then moves to biographies.  After that, she searches for certain authors in the Christian Living section.  Finally, she spends the rest of her time listening to praise and worship music.

I too like to start with the new arrivals but quickly move on to certain sections: Church Growth, Leadership, Discipleship, and Evangelism.  I like “how to” books; those with transferable concepts that can be taught to others.  Teaching is also one of my passions.  I truly enjoy passing along knowledge and wisdom to others; watching them grow and mature.

Our bookshelves at home overflow with books.  Some people even ask us if we are building a library.  What can I say?  We really like to read!

Despite the fact that Kim and my repertoire of literature are different, we both focus in on certain topics together.  These include books on relationships, building community, and contemporary church.  We believe reading keeps us “teachable” and open to fresh ideas.  This includes daily reading of our Bible, which starts out our mornings.

The following is a short list of Christian literature Kim and I highly recommend.  Most are currently on the shelf in Christian bookstores; others you may have to order.  Whether you are going through a “paradigm shift” in Christian transformation or simply need encouragement for tomorrow, these books may help.

Revolution by George Barna
Get Out of the Pit by Beth Moore
The Secret Message of Jesus by Brian McAllen
This Present Future by Reggie McNeal
Where Do We Go from Here? by Ralph W. Neighbor
Be a People Person by John C. Maxwell
Top Performance by Zig Ziglar
The Church in the Workplace by C. Peter Wagner
The Performance Factor: Unlocking the Secrets of Teamwork by Pat MacMillan
Connecting by Larry Crabb

Most of these books were written during the last number of years.  They reflect current thought about church and ministry.  For those of you looking for a specific topic of interest, I might be able to recommend some excellent works.