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Warning! The following inventory may challenge your ministry. Answer the following questions and see if you could use some help:
- Do you have to take work home almost every night?
- Do you work longer hours than others?
- Do you usually have little free time?
- Are you frequently interrupted?
- Do others feel they must consult you before making decisions?
- Do you have many unfinished )obs?
- Do you have difficulty meeting deadlines?
- Do you spend more time working on details than in planning and visioning?
- Are you involved in almost everything going on?
- Do you lack confidence in others?
- Are you a perfectionist who gets frustrated with low-quality work?
- Does production slow down when you are absent?
- After an absence from work, is your IN basket full?
- Do you sincerely seek suggestions from others?
If you answered "yes" to any of the first thirteen questions, you may underemploy one of the most significant leadership tools available - delegation. Elders, deacons, and preachers sometimes have too much of a hands on approach to ministry. When these church leaders must make or clear every ministry decision, it may indicate there exists within the church some frustration among members, underdeveloped Christians, neglected ministries, and overworked leaders.
A Theological Foundation for Delegation
While delegation certainly functions as a key time management tool, it offers far more than that. Delegation is a primary function of ministry. Church leaders have no choice but to delegate if the body of Christ grows up into the image of Christ. Familiarity with the Jethro Principle (Ex. 18) is not enough; we must implement this strategy into our ministry. The same strategy surfaces in Nehemiah's leadership and the incidents in Acts 6:1 - 7 and 15:1 - 35.
Paul offers insight into the connection between leading and delegating in Ephesians. God made all things subject to the cosmic Christ (1:21 - 23; 4:8, 10) and works through him and the Spirit(1:17 - 20) to empower believers for ministry (3:14-21). From his exalted position Jesus gives gifts to his people to equip them for service (4:7-13). Paul's strategy for combating deceptive teaching in the Ephesian church (4:14; 5:6) is simple-leaders must equip the saints for service (4:12). God works to unite all creation under the Lordship of Jesus (1:10); gifts and equipping function as divine tools for accomplishing God's goal of unity. In order for church leaders to work within God's plan, they must participate in the empowerment of God's people by helping them minister through their own gifts. This moves the created world toward greater peace and harmony, thus maintaining the Spirit's unity (4:13). In the process, the church images the unity of the Godhead as each Christian functions in his/her role. If leaders do not delegate ministry, how will they pursue God's goal? Delegation is therefore a tool "to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ" (1:10, NW).
The basic elements of delegation are authority, decentralization, responsibility, accountability, training, achievement, and satisfaction. Furthermore, Robert Clinton defines leadership as "a dynamic process in which a man or woman with God-given capacity influences a specific group of God's people toward His purposes for the group." With all these elements in mind, I offer the following theological definition of delegation:
Delegation is a relational process whereby leaders exercise spiritual authority in order to honor God by equipping members of the body for responsible service so that the Spirit's power) working in them through Christ-given gifts, might lead to a more faithful and useful ministry, thus accomplishing God's purposes for each member and the body as a whole.
While my definition is a bit complex, it encompasses all the vital elements of the delegation process and demonstrates delegation to be more than a tool for time management. Delegation is a primary function of leadership.
A Call for Personal Introspection
A church leader is not ready to begin the delegation process simply by developing a working theological definition; introspection of one's soul is also a key factor. A leader may resist delegation because of personal emotional concerns. Perhaps a perfectionist mentality, rooted in a low self-image, causes misgivings about trusting others with responsibility. As a leader begins to feel good about himself and his relationship with other Christians, he may then become free to unleash others for ministry.
Stephen Covey offers assistance to the leader desiring introspection. His three principles of personal vision are: (1) be proactive; (2) begin with the end in mind; and (3) put first things first. These three habits are internal perspectives that lead one away from dependence and toward independence. The next three habits take the leader into interdependence and provide the opportunity for the leader to combine his talents and abilities with those of others and create an even greater force. Covey's principles of interpersonal leadership are: (1) think win/win; (2) seek first to understand, then to be understood; and (3) synergize. His seventh habit calls for taking time to "sharpen the saw" and surrounds the other habits because it makes them possible.
In order for leaders and church members to achieve interdependence, the church needs a written mission statement and leaders need specific roles and goals. Every church needs a written mission statement that specifies what that church is all about in its locale. But even if a church does not have a mission statement, each leader within that church needs a personal mission statement so that he will know which directions to go. What roles do you fill? What responsibilities go with each role? What is your vision for the church and your ministry? Viewing these three vital elements of introspection – MISSION, VISION, AND KEY ROLES -- as overlapping circles helps demonstrate their inter-relatedness. Identifying your key roles helps keep you focused on your mission and works toward vision becoming reality.
The Application of Delegation in a Ministry Context
Leaders simply must learn how to develop people because no leadership function distinguishes leaders more than their ability to delegate effectively. Failure to delegate results in: (1) being overburdened with work and surrounded by underdeveloped people; (2) inability to plan and set goals because of reactive leading; (3) working harder and advancing less; and (4) disservice to God, his kingdom, Christians, and all humanity.
A multiplicity of reasons exist for leadership failure to delegate ministry: (1) perfectionism, or a feeling that I can do the job better; (2) it takes too much time to explain the task; (3) the decision is too important; (4) a reluctance to share power; (5) personal insecurity; (6) the "small business owner" syndrome; (7) lack of confidence in self or others; (8) unwillingness to watch others make mistakes; (9) competition (others must become the experts); and (10) leaders would have to learn a new job -- leadership.
Effective leaders learn to delegate routine tasks, time-consuming or recurring matters, and especially what others may do better. Effective leaders devote 90% of their time to planning, organizing, staffing, and directing because these are visionary in nature, but only 10% of their time goes into operations. Leaders must understand the actual processes of delegation and commit themselves to its implementation. I offer five steps for effective delegation.
1. Prepare role descriptions and task identification. Delegation is an invitation to participate by matching task and person. Determine what skills/gifts are needed in order to accomplish the task. This again underscores the relational dynamic in delegation because a leader must know his people. Combine this step with a mutual commitment to common goals and a trusting relationship and the delegation process will advance God's purposes.
2. Communicate. What is the task? Why is it important? What are the goals? Why solicit this person's help? Are there any special considerations? When is the deadline? When does the project begin? Communicate trust, flexibility, and the freedom to make mistakes. Open communication builds a climate for even more effective delegation to occur.
3. Provide necessary resources. If others will participate in the task in a related area, the delegatee needs to know the details. Furthermore, he/she needs to know if the delegator will function as a facilitator during the project. The most crucial resource the delegatee needs is authority, but what kind and how much must be determined with the task and person in mind. The most common approach to the authority issue identifies various levels of authority and then proposes that both parties understand and agree on the amount of authority delegated.
The following levels move from no authority to complete authority for the delegatee's assignment:
Level 1: Delegatee will study and report findings, but delegator will decide.
Level 2: Delegatee will study and make recommendations, then both will decide.
Level 3: Delegatee will study, develop plan, do it (unless told otherwise), and then report.
Level 4: Delegatee will study, act, and will not have to report back.
Leaders must maintain sensitivity to the authority issue because of the close relationship between the assigned task and the necessary authority to accomplish the task. No responsibility should be assigned without the necessary authority. The more authority the leader delegates, the more trust and confidence he places in the delegatee.
4. Monitor. It is essential to build accountability and checkpoints into the process by scheduling feedback, not to add them later as an afterthought. Once the assignment is made, then go ahead and schedule the next meeting as well as the agenda. A process of continual accountability makes it possible for the leader to ask how the project is progressing rather than asking what went wrong. In the event of a problem, the leader may need to assist in the project but must avoid reverse delegation -- the delegatee giving the task back to the delegator. In order for one to mature, he must learn to think, plan, and follow through for him/herself . . . and then stand behind his/her decisions and actions. Far too many leaders make assignments in ministry settings without some system of accountability. A leader should not feel frustrated when a task remains incomplete if he failed to hold the delegatee accountable.
5. Evaluate and build. During feedback sessions leaders should commit themselves to a positive approach that will enhance the relationship and prepare for future tasks. This may be accomplished by focusing on behavior, not the person; sharing your observations, not hearsay; being descriptive, not judgmental; being prompt in your assessment; sharing ideas and information, not advice; exploring alternatives, not fixed solutions; by seeking to develop the delegatee; by limiting feedback to useful information; and taking responsibility for the entire process. Genuineness, transparency, acceptance, and empathy contribute to positive feedback and evaluation. Evaluation should concentrate on what the delegatee learned (development) and how he/she feels about the results.
Leaders must delegate in order for others to mature. The rewards for effective delegation include: (1) better time management; (2) development of Christians; (3) use and sharing of spiritual authority; (4) avoidance of stagnation; (5) increased motivation; (6) empowerment; (7) use of Christ-given gifts; (8) team leadership; (9) a healthier role/task ratio within the church. These benefits further demonstrate that delegation is much more than a time management strategy.
Two additional thoughts may further challenge you to reconsider delegation in your ministry. First, one way leaders may judge their effectiveness is to determine whether more members actively participate in ministry. A leader's function is to prepare Christians for service so that the body will mature (Eph. 4:12). If members do not participate in service to others, then biblical ministry may be lacking. Second, leaders can say with Jesus, "It is finished" (John 19:30). Sure, there were others Jesus could have healed and taught, but because he was faithful to his mission at all times, he could say at any given time, "It is finished." In the past I have rarely felt that I was finished, but only temporarily delayed due to my need to eat and sleep. I now believe the leader who is faithful to his mission at all times is "finished" at any given point in time. Delegation is both a ministry tool and a responsibility that moves the leader toward inner peace and a sense of accomplishment because he develops people who serve in God's kingdom.
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