After more than 14 years of ministry, if I had to do it all over again, I’d certainly change some things.
I’d change some things about myself as a leader and my leadership approach. And one of the things that I’d do differently is I’d have been equally a delegator as much as I was a doer.
In the first many years of being in full-time ministry, I delegated much less than I should have. Thankfully in more recent years, I’ve learned to enjoy the benefits of delegation, both for myself and my team.
In observing the life and leadership of Jesus, He trained and modeled ministry for just 3 years, and following those years His disciples were on their own to carry out the greatest mission the world has ever known. Part of why they were able to do that was because Jesus not only modeled a great example of leadership for them to follow, but He was also a great delegator of leadership opportunities for them to grow and learn through. Jesus sent them out two by two, but He didn’t always go with them. (Mark 6:7)
Jesus understood the important principle of “leading from the bench” – you can be in charge without always being involved. (like a coach with their team) While leaders sometimes need to get their hands dirty working in the trenches with those they lead, there are many times when it’s equally important that they pass on the baton of authority by allowing others to develop their leadership. This requires the discipline of delegation – a difficult practice for many leaders to grasp.
All too often, as leaders, we think that we can do everything best ourselves, and while that may be true, think about this… so could Jesus, but He still didn’t do it all by Himself. No one could have done a better job than Jesus at anything, and yet He still delegated authority and responsibility to the disciples so that they could learn and grow, even sometimes through trial and error.
It’s important for us to realize that teams don’t build themselves. Leaders build teams through delegation and growth opportunities.
And in the long run when we delegate, we benefit, our team benefits, and the kingdom of God benefits as more gets accomplished. Here are a few things that I’ve learned over the years that the discipline of delegation accomplishes…
1. Leading from the bench Makes Ministry Easier.
God never intended for us to do His work alone. He gifted multiple people in the body to accomplish a variety of different tasks. When we as leaders fail to delegate properly, we not only make our own life more difficult, we rob others of the joy of serving in the capacities that God has created them for.
2. Leading from the bench Models the Greatest Example – Jesus.
Jesus often sent the disciples out two by two. He regularly allowed them to perform miracles in His name without Him being present. He trusted them with authority, even though He knew that they would sometimes mess it up, because that was a part of the process of developing them into future leaders. Giving authority to other capable people actually empowers them to become even better. Jesus knew this.
Just to be clear, what I am not saying is that a good leader just bosses everyone else around while they sit on the sidelines and watch. That’s not at all what Jesus did. But what I am saying is that good leadership through delegation empowers others to expand their strengths and reach their potential.
3. Leading from the bench Maximizes Ministry Effectiveness.
Ecc. 4:9 says that, “Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labor.”
Someone once said it this way, “I would rather put ten men to work than try and single-handedly do the work of ten men.”
The more people we can get on board to adopt the vision and fulfill the call, the more effective we can be, and ultimately, the more people we can reach.
4. Leading from the bench Matures Your “Employees” (Volunteers).
One of the worst ministry philosophies that a leader can adopt is that “I need to do it all because no one can do it as well as I can do it.” When the real reason that no one can do things as well as you can is because you’ve failed to duplicate yourself by investing what you know into others. I know this all too well, because I’ve been guilty of this many times.
This is the Biblical principle of duplication found in II Tim. 2:2, “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful me, who shall be able to teach others also.”
5. Leading from the bench Makes Ministry a Team Effort.
There’s something very special and rewarding about being able to accomplish big goals and hard to achieve tasks with the help and support of a team of people who’ve each contributed to the end result. Like we’ve all heard before, “There’s no ‘I’ in TEAM.”
And it’s so true, the bigger the team, the bigger the victory. Delegation allows more people to be involved in the process on the front end and enjoy an even bigger reward on the back end.
I’m thankful that I’ve eventually learned some of these lessons, but unfortunately, the hard way. I wish I’d have exercised the discipline of delegation much sooner. While by no means have I got it mastered, I’m thankful to be moving in the right direction.
If you’re a leader in any capacity, let me encourage you to master the discipline of delegation so that you can learn how to enjoy the rewards of leading from the bench.
