Blessings From Delegating

Chuckle: Dad: "Why is your January report card so bad?" Son: Well, you know how it is, Dad. Things are always marked down after Christmas!"

Quote: "Trust men and they will be true to you; treat them greatly and they will show themselves great." --Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. . So God put the body together. . If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts (rejoice) are glad" (1 Corinthians 12:14, 24, 26 NLT).

Paul uses the analogy of the human body to describe the function of the body of Christ, the church. Like the human body, the church has many members and each of them is important to the life and function of the spiritual body. For our physical bodies to perform at their best, each and every part must perform its function as it was designed by our Creator. The same is true of the church.

Have you ever made the statement: "If I want something done right, I do it myself?" This statement says we think we can do the job better than anyone else in our organization or the church. Even though such thoughts come naturally to us, any organization can be a winning team only if leaders are willing to delegate even the good jobs to others.

All sorts of misgivings can lead us to be reluctant to delegate. Are they capable? Are they dependable? Will they follow through? Are they team players? Yes, it's natural to ask such questions, but the highly successful person recognizes that trusting others is critical for a cohesive and successful team. It takes a person with a healthy self-image to be secure enough to share both responsibility and credit.

I have known pastors and other leaders, including myself, who have tried to do too many jobs themselves because they didn't have faith in others. Perhaps they had been disappointed in the past when they tried to delegate tasks to others. No matter the reasons, failure to delegate and allow others to exercise their God-given gifts and abilities is to rob them of the joy of service as an important member of the team.

Until you learn to delegate, you won't have time to dream, plan, study, and be creative. You will seriously limit your own effectiveness and that of your organization or church. The beautiful thing about delegating is that you will now have the time to do those things that only you can do -- that cannot be delegated. If you are a leader in your church, you are wise to recognize the value of each member, allow them to function as members of Christ's Body, and rejoice with them and give them credit when they do well.

Love, Jerry & Dotse