Gift Your Ministry Team Better Relationships in 2026

by Del Fehsenfeld

As ministry leaders, we all know the truth—even if we don’t always say it out loud: The health of your ministry depends on the health of your relationships.

As we approach 2026, many of us are praying about vision, staffing, budgets, and programs. But Scripture reminds us that fruitfulness in ministry flows first from how we love one another, not just what we do together (John 13:35). When relationships fracture, mission stalls. When relationships flourish, ministry multiplies.

One of the most practical ways we’ve seen ministry teams start a new year well is by intentionally investing in relational understanding—giving their staff and leaders tools to love each other wisely, not just sincerely. That’s where the Strength Deployment Inventory (SDI) relationship assessment with gospel integration comes in.

SDI is not about labeling people or fixing personalities. It’s about helping ministry teams understand why we do what we do, how conflict escalates, and what it looks like to love one another well when pressure is high—which, as you know, is where most of ministry actually happens.

Why Relationships Are a Ministry Issue (Not a “Soft Skill”)

Most ministry conflict is not theological. It’s motivational.

We clash not because we don’t love Jesus, but because we are wired differently—and stress, fatigue, and unmet expectations expose those differences quickly. Left unaddressed, these tensions quietly drain energy from the mission and redirect it inward.

Paul’s call in Ephesians 4 to humility, patience, and unity assumes effort, awareness, and growth. Those virtues don’t happen automatically just because we pray together. They require shared language, empathy, and intentional practice.

SDI provides ministry teams with a shared language.

What SDI Actually Does for Ministry Teams

The Strength Deployment Inventory is a research-based relational assessment that helps people understand their core motivational values—what drives them when things are going well—and how those motivations shift under conflict or stress.

The SDI identifies three primary motivational value systems:

• Altruistic–Nurturing (Blue): Motivated by people, harmony, and growth

• Assertive–Directing (Red): Motivated by results, action, and forward movement

• Analytic–Autonomizing (Green): Motivated by clarity, logic, and independence

None of these is right or wrong. Every healthy ministry needs all three. But understanding what’s motivating others is critical to working together. 

The SDI also provides critical insight into your team’s conflict sequences. When pressure mounts, strengths can become overdone, misunderstood, or misused. Blues may become rescuers, Reds may become controlling, Greens may withdraw. Suddenly, well-intentioned teammates feel hurt, dismissed, or unheard.

The SDI helps teams name these patterns before they damage trust.

Why This Matters Spiritually, Not Just Practically

Jesus didn’t say the world would know us by our strategy, staffing model, or sermon series. He said they would know us by our love.

The SDI helps ministry teams:

• Practice love with wisdom, not assumption. Loving someone well requires understanding what actually communicates care to them, not just what feels loving to us.

• Reduce unnecessary conflict that distracts from the mission. When teams understand how each person is motivated and how conflict escalates, disagreements become conversations rather than fractures.

• Model discipleship internally. Ministry teams are always discipling—whether intentionally or not. The SDI helps leaders model humility, self-awareness, repentance, and growth in real time.

• Protect unity without avoiding hard conversations. Unity isn’t the absence of tension; it’s the presence of trust. The SDI equips teams to speak honestly while staying relationally connected.

In short, the SDI helps teams live out 1 Corinthians 13 not as poetry, but as practice.

What It Looks Like to “Gift” SDI to Your Team

Introducing the SDI at the start of a new year—through a retreat, staff training, or leadership development process—communicates something powerful to your people: “Our relationships matter. How we treat one another matters. We are committed to growing together.”

Ministry teams that use the SDI consistently report:

• Clearer communication

• Faster conflict resolution

• Increased trust and morale

• Less emotional exhaustion

• More energy directed toward the mission

This is not because problems disappear, but because people feel understood, valued, and equipped to navigate differences with grace.

A Pastoral Invitation as You Enter 2026

As you prepare for the year ahead, here’s a question worth praying over:

What if the most important investment you make this year isn’t a new initiative, but deeper relational health among the people carrying the mission?

At Consentia Group, we come alongside ministry leaders to integrate tools such as the SDI in ways that are theologically grounded, pastorally sensitive, and deeply practical. Our heart is not just healthier teams, but ministries that reflect the reconciling love of Christ from the inside out.

If you’re ready to explore how SDI could serve your staff, elders, or leadership pipeline, we’d be honored to walk with you.

Because when ministry teams learn how to love one another well, the gospel isn’t just preached—it’s embodied.

Want to give your ministry team the gift of healthier relationships in 2026?

Become a certified SDI Facilitator through Consentia Group and gain the tools to equip your staff, elders, and leaders with gospel-centered relational intelligence.

🗓️ Next certification course: February 17–19, 2026 | 9:00 AM–1:00 PM (EST)

Click here to register and invest in the kind of unity that fuels long-term mission.

We can also run a dynamic training with your team (TeamLife), and we can certify you to be the ongoing trainer for your team (certification).

Whether you lead a ministry, coach leaders, or develop teams, becoming an SDI-Certified Facilitator empowers you to help others grow in both self-awareness and relational intelligence—turning potential conflict into connection.