The Tuckman Model
Pastoral Check-Ins & Team Development
Living and working in the mission field is quite challenging, and at times, the feeling of isolation can easily engulf me. Not many can relate to what you’re going through, whether from the standpoint of relationships, this type of work, or the internal questions related to direction, growth in cross-cultural competency, and healthy revisitations to the why.
We’re thankful for the assortment of pastoral voices that have been present during the hardest of times. And we welcome our Sending Team to check in with us as they are led by the Lord.
Our current season has really stretched our faith and allowed us to develop durability in our souls. I recently had a chance to reconnect with a longtime mentor and friend, Pastor Wayne, whose church has now merged with Captivate Church in San Diego, CA.
Shout out to Wayne, Kory, and Weston at Captivate Church!
During our check-in, Wayne asked me a series of pastoral questions that were immensely helpful. It showed us that someone cared more deeply than just hearing about metrics and other updates to share with the congregation, supporting us through prayer and funding. Along with these thoughtful questions, he referred me back to the Tuckman Model—a framework for team development:
Tuckman Model Explained
Over a decade ago, I took part in a pastoral apprenticeship at a local church in San Diego. This came on the heels of 3 years in lay pastoral ministry at one of the biggest churches in the city. The transition from a big to a small church was a new challenge for me at the time, especially since all I knew about Evangelical Christianity was the large organizational model.
This was when I first got acquainted with Wayne’s leadership as he helped guide a group of up-and-coming leaders through the process of forming a church planting team and establishing an evening service at the church. He would regularly refer to the Tuckman model as we began to build our team and worked through each stage of development.
In the 1960s, Psychologist Bruce Tuckman presented four (and later five) different phases of group development as a linear model to enhance a team's proficiency and effectiveness. The model translates quite well within the sectors of non-profit charitable and humanitarian work, ministry, and church planting. In practice, however, it’s important to note that these phases of group formation do not always follow a linear process but are more organic and fluid in nature, often overlapping and moving in non-linear patterns.
Forming
As the name suggests, this is when a new team is formed. Members get acquainted, tending to show their best behaviour and share their various competencies. The ethos is usually marked by politeness and a general positivity about the project or goal. If you’re facilitating the team, vigorous guidance is needed, as tasks may not be clearly laid out or defined.Storming
As the team grows together, boundaries begin to emerge, and clearer lines are defined. Disagreements and conflict will inevitably arise as boundaries become contested and a diversity of ideas is explored. At times, there will be frustration with the lack of progress, and an experience of “growing pains” within the group will occur, requiring further support and necessitating ways to track and measure success.Norming
A period of normalizing occurs as team members begin to resolve differences, learn to adapt, appreciate one another’s strengths, and respect the authority of leadership. In collaboration and collective effort toward a common goal, you will see an overlap of a set of behaviours between the storming and norming phases, especially when new tasks are assigned.Performing
As the team functions in a high capacity and operates at peak efficiency, there will be collective satisfaction about the progress being made. The maximum effort applied coincides with the increasing confidence of the group, making things like assigning individual roles and tasks flow more naturally. Problems are mostly prevented, but when issues arise, they are addressed more quickly and solved on the go.Mourning (aka Adjourning)
At the end of a project, when all tasks are completed, and a collective goal is acheived, it’s important to celebrate. It’s referred to as mourning due to the end or close of the group structure, which may generate uncertainty for individuals, especially after having spent considerable time and energy together.
What phase are we in?
Although Tuckman’s model is not a fixed diagnosis, it can be used as a basis for analysis and introspection. It often leads to healthy conversations about accountability and one’s function and direction in relation to a larger team dynamic.
The leadership team at Christ Church Birmingham (CCB) and the broader church planting movement known as Birmingham & Beyond has seen 3 churches planted in the last two years: Grace City Church in Moseley and Balsall Heath, Redemption Hill in Walsall, and Living Hope Church in West Bromwich. With each departing team, a period of Mourning and Adjourning occurs, leaving gaps that need to be filled by those who remain.
This has been one of the biggest differences in the philosophy of ministry that I have seen, personally and cross-culturally. The wisdom and experience of Steve and our other UK counterparts advocate for sending our best to these various areas of need in the West Midlands. Yes, much like family, it is both difficult and exciting to see others go forth on their own, but what remains within our core team is trust in the Lord to continue to grow and supply the movement, with an aim to raise leaders and send them out.
For our family in particular, we seem to be in a Norming + Performing phase given the ebbs and flows of my capacity along with Steph’s ongoing recovery. As she articulated in her recent article (Part I), a faith more valuable than gold is refined—it grows and bears much fruit, as lessons that can only be learned in the school of suffering are imparted to us. Many in the church have empathized and resonated with our experiences and appreciate how we have adapted and brought forth our strengths to serve the Lord at CCB and in Birmingham & Beyond.
We sense a change and anticipate the Mourning/Adjourning phase approaching as we shift our prayers, plans, and preparations to a new focus city and area in the UK. We are starting to invite others from both sides of the pond to prayerfully consider this new venture and opportunity to break ground and pioneer a new work.
Coaching Ministry Partnership Development (MPD)
One of the factors that has spurred on the most growth in our faith as a family is relying on ministry support. Since missions work isn’t gainful employment, we have little to no control over what comes in to sustain our family and ministry each month, let alone each year. I can’t work extra hours or take on additional projects to earn that annual bonus. We entirely depend on the Lord to provide for us and meet our needs.
Through our experience in raising support, I’ve gained valuable lessons along the way and acquired specific insights and helpful knowledge that can assist others in understanding and living out the Biblical precedent of Jesus’ mission advancing through the generosity of His people. All money and resources belong to the Lord; regardless of how finances are attained, everything is ultimately received from Him. Whether that’s through entrepreneurial ventures, workforce employment, side hustles, or charitable giving—it all comes from Him.
In these last few months, I’ve had the honor of assisting others in raising support for their ministry. One is Dan, our new lead pastor at CCB, who we are praying will be freed up to increase capacity, and the other is an American missionary called Syd, who is based on the East Coast and is headed for the United Arab Emirates. I’ve covered a variety of aspects depending on the questions and need:
Making group and one-to-one appeals
How to approach follow-ups
Keeping a record via CRM
Compiling a contact list, networking, and referrals
Efficient ways to receive funding abroad
Honoring and maintaining ministry partnerships
Preparing a Preacher
Some may point to music as something that interests me the most or comes naturally to me. However, my favorite aspect of ministry is studying and contextualizing God’s word. This primarily occurs during preaching preparation, sermon series development, and in my personal spiritual disciplines of reading and studying.
I recently had the honor of helping prepare a minister called Abel, who is from Nigeria. We have much in common and share a passion for God’s word and worship through music. I drafted a brief outline and preparation document for him to use as a guide for his sermon on Acts 6:1-7. I kept it simple so as to not restrict or detract from Abel’s unique God-given voice, but instead to offer a basic structure for the task of bringing God’s word to His people.
