There is a note above my desk, a simple reminder that I need to delegate. Here’s my problem, I don’t want to! My whole ministry career I have been told that my biggest struggle and the thing that holds me back the most is my lack of desire to delegate. Notice I didn’t say lack of ability. I know how to delegate, I just don’t like it.
“If you want it done right, do it yourself.”
“It will take longer to teach someone how to do something than to just do it yourself.”
“Working yourself out of a job will leave you without a job.”
These are all lies I’ve convinced myself of over the years, all whispered into my ear by the devil. Some may say I’m a perfectionist, I say I value excellence. Some say I’m a control freak, I say I just like things done correctly. Some say I am a workaholic, I say I give my all in the way I serve. It is very easy for me to explain why and justify not delegating, the problem is, I am called to delegate. All of the little lies that I have heard are true on a surface level, the problem is, they are still lies.
Lie #1…”If you want it done right, do it yourself.”
This is a total lie. While I might be able to do most things well, there is no way I am able to everything with excellence. It would take a very prideful person to say in all honesty that they are the only people who can do something correctly. I am fully aware that I cannot do everything amazingly well, I am also aware that there are many people who’s talents are different than mine. Putting those two thoughts together would leave someone to believe that since I cannot do it all well, and there are those who can do well what I do not, they could be utilized. I went to a Student Ministry conference a couple years ago, and the only thing I remember well enough to quote is the simple thought of “You don’t have to be the best at everything, you just have to surround yourself with the people who are.” This really stuck out to me, because it is so true. I want everything to be above and beyond excellent, and knowing I can’t do it all is a relief, and trusting that someone else can do it better just makes me a better leader.
Lie #2…”It will take longer to teach someone how to do something than to just do it yourself.”
Looking over this sentence just makes me laugh. First off, it is a ridiculous thought. Secondly, I’ve thought it many times. This statement is true for the very first instance (maybe), but after that, it looses all validity. It is like the old phrase, ‘give a man a fish he will eat for a day, day him to fish he will eat for a lifetime.’ I have wasted so much time thinking that it is quicker to do it myself than teach someone else, because often times, it does not take that long to teach, and most of the tasks that I do are repetitive. If I take the time to teach someone something, it does a couple of things: teaches them how to do it the next time (giving me time), allow someone else the opportunity to serve, free up my time to focus on what I’m good at, and teach someone something that they will not only use to better the ministry I am a part of but their whole future career in ministry. It is silly to think that I am wasting time when I am teaching something, it is never a waste of time if someone is learning!
Lie #3…”Working yourself out of a job will leave you without a job.”
I have had the honor to work at two amazing churches in the arena of Student Ministry. Both of these opportunities have come my way without my asking or pursuing. God has gotten me this far, if He wants to move me, He will! This lie of being left without a job is basically saying that you don’t trust that God will take care of you. Beyond that, it is saying that if you do your job well and lead like you are asked, you will be rewarded with a swift kick in the butt. Completely illogical! In all of my years of growing up in churches, I have never once seen people fired for developing a strong team, on the other hand, I have seen people highly rewarded for developing a strong team. My calling is to be an effective leader in a student ministry that is doing anything short of sin to see students come to Christ. What that means is that I must build up a team of people strong enough to carry out that vision, and if that means letting the best outshine me, that is what needs to happen. And in the long run, it only makes me a better leader. God has gotten me thus far, my insecurities will be the only thing that holds me back, and what a waste that would be.
Delegation. My nemesis. But it is a necessary defeat to be an effective leader of leaders of students.
