The 5-Person Team Every Church Needs Before the New Year Hits

Momentum is a gift.
But for many pastors, especially those in smaller or bivocational settings, it feels like momentum is always slipping away.

You’re praying.
You’re preaching.
You’re pushing.
But the church still feels stuck.

When things stall, most pastors assume the problem is spiritual. And sometimes it is. But more often, the issue is structural. You’re carrying everything alone. And your team, if you even have one, doesn’t match what the ministry needs right now.

The good news?
You don’t need 50 people.
You need five.

And when you build this team the right way, the weight lifts. Sundays get easier. New people stop slipping through the cracks. And you finally have space to lead again.

Let’s walk through the blueprint.

The Real Problem: You’re Leading Without a Foundation

Most pastors start the work before they build the team.

You preach.
You plan.
You run point on every detail from the bulletin to the baptism tank.
And somewhere along the way, burnout sneaks in.

Jesus didn’t start His ministry that way.
He built a team first.
The team built the church.

If you want your church to move in the new year, whether you’re planting, relaunching, or rebuilding, you must start where Jesus started:

Structure.
Roles.
Clear lanes.

Like Paul reminds us, let “all things be done decently and in order.” (1 Cor 14:40)

So here’s the blueprint: the five roles every healthy church needs.

The 5 Roles: Your First Five Team Members

These roles work whether your church is brand-new or 30 years old.
Whether you have 15 people or 150.
Paid or volunteer.
Urban or rural.

The roles stay the same.
The hours just scale.

1. Lead Pastor - Vision, Oversight, Admin

This one seems obvious, but most pastors skip the job description.

The lead pastor has three jobs:

Vision

• Keep everyone pointed in the same direction.

• Protect the vision from drift.

• Say “this is where we’re going” until everyone believes it.

Quick win:
Write your 2025 vision on one page and review it with your leaders every month.

Oversight

• Don’t delegate and disappear.

• Shorten the gap between check-ins.

• Weekly touch points = faster growth.

Quick win:
Add a 20-minute weekly “touch call” with each leader. It will double your progress.

Admin

Most pastors don’t want this.
But until you hit 150 people, you need to own it.

• Know your guest follow-up process.

• Check your CHMS.

• Call every first-time guest personally.

Quick win:
Block 30 minutes every Monday for guest calls. That alone can change your church.

2. Worship Lead - Music, Sunday Planning, Volunteers

This isn’t just “the singer.”
This role carries the weight of Sunday rhythm.

Music

Tracks, live band, or YouTube—doesn’t matter.
Someone must own the sound of the house.

Sunday Planning

• Prepare the order of service

• Send the agenda

• Make Sunday predictable for the team

Volunteers

We’re past the era of “whoever gets there first.”

Quick win:
Install a simple rotation and publish it two weeks ahead.

3. Kids Lead - Curriculum & Parent Communication

If you want families, you must win their kids.

Curriculum

A safe room + simple lesson = momentum magnet.

• Use a Bible-based curriculum.

• Align lessons with the sermon theme when possible

• Prep everything one month ahead

Parent Communication

This one surprises people.

The best teachers communicate with parents.
Your kids' leader should too.

Quick win:
Send one weekly message:
“Here’s what your child learned. Try this at home.”

Families feel seen.
Kids get excited.
Momentum grows.

4. Connections Lead - Guests, Membership, Baptism

This is the engine of church growth.

Their job:
Turn first-time guests into volunteers and disciples within 30–60 days.

Guest Follow-Up

• Text within hours

• Email immediately

• Phone call within 48 hours

Membership Class

Someone must own the pipeline.
No more “we’ll run the class when people ask.”

Baptism

Most churches aren’t baptizing because they’re not planning to.

Plan monthly opportunities.
Prepare your supplies.
Be ready for spontaneous decisions.

Quick win:
Put every baptism date for 2025 on the calendar this week.

5. Media Lead - Audio, Visual, Social

In 2025, this is non-negotiable.

Media is the new front door.

Audio

People forgive bad video.
They will not forgive bad sound.

Visual

Slides. Lyrics. Notes.
People learn visually.

If you want engagement, make it easy to follow along.

Social

You don’t need to “go viral.”
Just show what’s happening inside.

Quick win:
Film a 30-second “sermon-in-a-minute” clip after every message.

How to Build This Team in 12 Weeks (P3-Simple)

Here’s the P3 lens:

Playbook - Players - Performance

Phase 1: Clarify & Recruit

Put the roles on paper.
Invite, don’t beg people to step in.

Phase 2: Shadow & Assign

Let them walk with you.
Show, don’t just tell.

Phase 3: Train & Stabilize

Pour into the person and the role.
Stabilize the ministry and the leader.

Phase 4: Multiply & Measure

Every role eventually needs two people.
Margin multiplies ministry.

Luke 14:28 is the reminder:
Count the cost before you build.

Small Win Story

One of our pastors recently installed this exact 5-person structure.
He didn’t hire anyone.
He didn’t add more hours to his week.
He simply clarified the lanes and started training.

Within 60 days:

• Kids' ministry doubled

• Guest retention jumped

• Volunteers re-engaged

• Stress dropped

• Sunday finally felt light again

Small team.
Big momentum.
Because structure works.

Your Next Step

You don’t need 20 new volunteers.
You just need the right five in the right seats.

If you want the playbooks, templates, and weekly coaching to build this team in 90 days, start here:

Save your seat - WEBINAR_LINK
DIY pace ($997/year, refund/BNPL) - CSB_LINK
Done-With-You speed (90 days) - ACCEL_LINK