Have you heard the news? When you are the “senior,” “lead,” or only pastor at your church, you do not have to do everything. Isn’t that great news?
So many of us have learned to be a jack-of-all-trades: preaching, counseling, Bible study, youth group, worship, kids’ church, home/cell/life groups, finances, building repair, janitor . . . The list can get long when you stop to put it all together. One of the loudest messages for leaders in the last several years is simply this: Do what you do best, and delegate the rest.
We’ve heard a lot about teams, teamwork, delegation of authority and responsibility, and everyone focusing on their strengths instead of dragging themselves through the mud of their weaknesses. Our offices have filled with rejoicing over the chance to work less than 80 hours a week, to spend time with our family, to enjoy life, and even to have a few hours to ourselves each week.
However, there is a key element that we can forget to implement before we delegate: training. To help us and our team members, we must learn to follow an important rule: Never delegate before taking the time to train.
We ask someone to help us in our work, or they ask if they can partner with us, and we tend to believe that everyone will easily be fulfilled. You get your work done, and I’ll get my work done. When we delegate without training, we fail to set expectations for timing, style, flexibility, vision, and other factors involved in team dynamics.
When we fail to train those we delegate responsibility to, we run into issues that can get derail the work we are asking them to assist with, and maybe even the entire organization.
- Our people get FRUSTRATED.
- Relationships get FRACTURED.
- Volunteers and staff end up quitting or get FIRED.
- The work FAILS.
Training must always precede delegation, and it is the delegator’s responsibility to ensure that the training is complete.
Isn’t it worth just a little more effort?
If you are confident in the training your ministry partner has received, you will be able to trust them more, be assured that the work will be completed sufficiently, and your mind and heart will be able to focus on what you have to worry about, instead of worrying about what you gave to someone else.
—
Read part 2 HERE
—
Chris MacKinnon 