“ My wife had a high-risk pregnancy , so we had weekly appointments with the doctor . At thirtytwo weeks , the doctor told us we weren ’ t leaving the hospital until my wife delivered . During the ten days we were stuck waiting for my daughter to arrive , team members came to the hospital for meetings and to organize what needed to be done while I was gone .
When it was finally time for the delivery , things went crazy . My wife ’ s body began to shut down , so I had a very premature baby in one wing and a potentially dying wife in another . I had a meeting with the staff and pastor team , and I told them , “ From here forward , you ’ re leading the team . My wife and I are out for a while , so you ’ ll be handling the ministry of the church throughout the week .”
I arranged to have pastors — friends — I trusted cover the pulpit , then I had to trust my teams to do the rest . They understood my heart . They took it upon themselves to take ownership of the vision and the mission . And the result was that when my wife was healthy and I returned , the church was in a stronger place than before this all happened .
I had rest and focus because my staff lifted my arms . This is why you build a team .”
Daniel Villarreal , Pastor at Grace Avenue Church , San Antonio , Texas
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