Sharing the Joy of Ministry
Selecting and training leaders is where you make it or break it in the ministry.
As leaders we either must do it ourselves or have it done. We are to select faithful people to pour our lives into, "And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others"(2 Timothy 2:2).
D.L. Moody once said, "I would rather put a thousand men to work than do the work of a thousand men.
An Equipping Environment:
1) ASSIGN:
Written Job Descriptions are helpful. It is important for the person to participate in the job description authorship, so that there is greater ownership.
2) MOTIVATE:
Encourage and support the person. Back him or her up when the going gets rough. Challenge them to valiant effort.
3) MONITOR:
Time frame and completion date. Written or oral report. Observe the person, and give feedback on performance.
4) CORRECT:
One on one communication is important here. Never destroy a person's dignity by correcting in front of others. Re-assign after correction, so that the person understands that the goal is constant improvement, making things better, so mistakes are simply speed bumps on the road to glory.
The Simple Process of Effective Delegation:
1) I do it, while the person observes.
2) I do it, and the person assists.
3) They do it and I assist.
4) They do it and we both look for someone else to train.
Source: Nation's Business July 1996
By spreading out ministry duties in a more efficient way, delegating not only can make for greater overall ministry effectiveness but also can reduce overload and burnout of leaders and staff. If we are going to become the Church God wants us to be, each one of us is going to have to coach, empower, equip and release more and more of God's people to fulfill the Great Commission and be faithful to Ephesians 4:10-12.
We must practice giving the ministry away and returning the church to the people. To learn whether you are a good delegator, answer "yes" or "no" to each of the following questions. I encourage you to let your team members take this test and evaluate your leadership. Then, if you're really courageous let your spouse take it for you!:
Do you often find yourself going home later than you wanted?
Do you often take work home evenings and weekends?
Is your unfinished work increasing?
Are daily demands so time-consuming that you have little time left for future planning?
Do you tend to keep control of all the details needed to do a job?
Do you frequently have to postpone long-range projects?
Are you distracted by constant unexpected emergencies?
Do you lack confidences in your team's abilities to shoulder more responsibility?
Do you find yourself irritable and complaining when the work of your ministry team doesn't live up to expectations?
Do conflict, friction, and loss of morale characterize the atmosphere of your ministry?
Does your team defer all decisions to you?
Do you instruct your team to perform certain activities, rather than accomplish certain goals?
Do you feel that you're abdicating your role as a leader if you ask for your team's assistance?
Have team members stopped presenting their ideas to you?
Does discipline lessen down much when you're away?
Do you believe that your status and the salary you earn automatically mean that you have to be overworked?
If nine or more of your answers are affirmative, it's likely that you're not delegating enough. If so, identify the reasons, and work on eliminating them. Here are the most common reasons:
Lack of patience (It takes longer to explain it than to do it myself).
Insecurity. (I'm so eager to prove myself that I refuse to delegate.)
Inflexibility. (I'm convinced that nothing can be done properly unless I do it myself.)
Inadequacy. (I'm afraid of being shown up.)
Occupational hobby. (I'm so attached to some aspect of the job that I just don't want to give it up.)
EPHESIANS 4:11-14
"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. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming."
