by Kelly Stockdale
I’m a self-confessed Type-A personality. While my “get ‘er done” personality is helpful when it comes to seeing a project come to fruition, if I’m honest, it can be a challenge for me to not become a one-man show.
God created us to work in teams, all bringing our unique gifts together so we can be better together. If you’ve been gifted as a leader, you need to concentrate on those responsibilities only you can do as a leader. To do that, you must become effective at delegation. In the words of the great theologian Queen Elsa of Arendelle: “Let it go!”
Here are four things I’ve learned about the art of delegation:
Delegation depends on clarity.
Your ministry must have a clear mission and vision. As a ministry leader, you’re the one who sets the tone for your ministry. When there’s clarity around your mission and vision, everyone is on the same page, working on the same goal. You can give away authority, not tasks when there is clarity because the end goal is clear for every project and task. People who help in your ministry want to feel as if their opinion matters. Nothing creates more buy-in and ownership than when you look at someone and say, “It’s your call.”
Delegation demands preparation.
If you’re always flying by the seat of your pants, you’ll find it extremely challenging to know what to delegate. Trust me, I’ve learned the hard way. I’ve led ministry team meetings where it was clear to me (and volunteers) I had not put the work into thinking through a meeting and the projects we had coming down the road. The result? Volunteers leaving with no real assignments made and their time wasted. You have to put the time into thinking through future goals and plans. You can’t lead people where you haven’t gone yourself.
Delegation determines effectiveness.
Nothing is a greater litmus test to your leadership efficiency than the question: “Am I carrying the load of your ministry all on my own?” While it might seem noble, burn out will come quickly and swiftly unless you find a way to let others come alongside you. I’m having to learn this principle all over again in this season of my ministry. In the early stages of our church plant, I’m finding it hard to delegate. Sometimes the smaller the ministry, the harder it is to delegate. If I’m honest, there are days it feels I should be doing more.
Delegation isn’t only about the present, it’s also about the future.
When you set yourself up as a ministry leader who delegates, you’ll find you’ve structured yourself when growth happens, and you’re not buckling underneath the weight of all the new demands your bigger ministry requires.
In what ways do you find it difficult to clarify and prepare so you can be more effective in delegating?
Kelly Stockdale is a Memphis native who is passionate about strengthening the family through the local church. Kelly has served as a preschool director in a mobile church plant for four years before venturing out with her husband Jason to plant their own church The Hill: Memphis where she continues to invest in families. Jason and Kelly have three girls and a “turn our world upside down” little boy! Connect with Kelly at: www.kellystockdale.com.
