I’m not sure when it was that an adult first gave me that all-important “responsibility” – maybe it was in kindergarten when I had to pass out the chocolate milk cartons to the other kids, or in first grade when I got to be line leader and lead the class down to gym. And I’m not sure when it was in my Christian walk that I first had to exercise a similar responsibility – maybe when I was first asked to teach a workshop at Musicon, or do the announcements at our college InterVarsity meetings. But I know that part of the reason I am where I am today as a pastor is because of leaders who understood the importance of delegation, and knew how to give meaningful but doable responsibilities away and help others be successful with those responsibilities.
The Old and the New Testament both have great stories that illustrate the importance of delegation. In Exodus 18, we find Moses serving as a judge for the people of Israel from morning to evening every day, hearing all the disputes in the land. Fortunately, his wise father-in-law Jethro sees what he is doing and tells him that what he is doing is not good, that he is going to wear himself out. He tells Moses to select capable men to be officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens, to serve as judges over the simple cases while reserving the most difficult cases for himself. In this way, Jethro helped Moses find balance in his life as well as raise up leaders among the people of Israel.
In Acts 6, we find some widows are being overlooked in the distribution of food in the early church, causing the people to complain against the twelve apostles. But the apostles wisely realize that if they are to attempt to meet every need, they will neglect the more important ministries that they have been called to: prayer and the ministry of the Word. And so they allow the disciples to choose seven godly men to take care of the needs of the community. In doing so, the apostles are able to keep first things first, while not neglecting the important needs of the community.
Delegation is such an important skill in a leader, and unfortunately has been something that I have always struggled with. A church that understands delegation recognizes that the leader’s role is to raise up other leaders, to give away responsibilities to those who are ready to take on challenges, and to support those who are doing the work in order that they might be successful. Many people would be shocked to find out that the word “pastor” only appears once in the Bible, in Ephesians 4:11-13, where Paul writes, “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” Notice what the role of the pastor is – to help equip the people of God to serve in the ways God has gifted them, so that the whole body might be built up and reach maturity. The role of the pastor is not to do everything himself, but to delegate, to equip, and to support others as they do the work of ministry.
If our church is to grow into maturity, then we have to get the hang of delegation. As the pastor, I need to grow in my ability to recognize areas that people can serve, identify people who are willing to serve or could use the challenge, and then equip and support them so that they succeed in doing the work of God. And the ministry leaders in our church need to begin to see leadership in the same way, so that leadership does not equal “do it all myself,” but “help others do the work while I support them.” The challenge the leaders of our church have is to think through the ways people can lead or serve, from the smallest thing to the biggest: from providing a snack to making a phone call, from leading in prayer to sharing a testimony, from folding bulletins to leading a discussion group. Find as many ways as you can to get people involved, to give people ownership and responsibility, so that the body of Christ at NewLife might be built up and reach maturity.
On Sunday, January 25th from 3:45-5:15, there will be a leadership training where we will put more practical thought into how to create more of a culture of delegation and raise up more leaders in our church. All of the ministry leaders have been invited, and you are invited as well if you are interested in learning more about leadership at NewLife. If you are interested in coming, please let me know – there are so many ways to serve and so many ways to lead, and we believe that God has gifted every one of us to serve and lead in different ways at NewLife and in the community.
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