“Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.”

Exodus 18:21 ESV

Whatever your life goals may be, there is a principled skill for pulling them off which I can summarize in a word: Delegation. At risk of sounding offensive, in my experience I have observed a certain pride struggle that most people must overcome before they are willing to delegate work to others. The adage comes to mind: “If you want something done right, then you will have to do it yourself.” The clear upside to this is that you know exactly what you want done in the way you want it done, so it can be accomplished precisely how you envisioned it. But to attain other aspirations, are you willing to release control over the outcome of any said task? Are you willing and capable of delegation?

To delegate something simply means to entrust someone else with a responsibility that was formerly yours. Does this sound difficult? It can be very difficult for some, especially for those who are afraid of failure.

I think there are at least two practical steps to being a successful delegator. First, you must identify people to whom you can entrust something which will have your name attached to it. In essence, you must find people who have personal integrity, selecting people who you believe will follow through on a task that they commit to take on. Those who will see it through to completion with minimal applied accountability.

Second, in terms of applied accountability, you must skillfully manage while not micro-managing the person you have delegated something to. There is an art and science to applying this kind of management finesse. You want to have enough rapport and relationship with the individual so you can sense how things are progressing with whatever project you have assigned. If you are overbearing, then the person will start to feel undermined and potentially disrespected in the work, which leads to discouragement and eventual failure. So, how do you strike the right balance for bringing accountability to the appropriate level? This is undoubtedly learned through a “trial by fire” experience, where you err on applying either too much or too little accountability with varying success. But this process of discovery learning will be worth it.

Overall, the main point with this lesson is for you not to allow personal pride to keep you from delegating a task to someone.

For a few years in my early thirties, I spent a considerable amount of time studying inside a utility closet off my garage. I did have a window, desk, and Wi-Fi but this comfort competed with wafting smells of gasoline and grass clippings from the former tenant, my lawnmower. This was in hot and humid Arkansas, necessitating AC for my makeshift office. Somehow the home builder knew I would need that one day.

Enroute to earning my doctorate, I made that small space my habitation. My kids were still young, very energetic, and busy inside the house, standing in contrast to my deep work of focused reading and typing, coming up for air every few hours. I had invested several years of labor as an associate pastor at my church, so I was able to negotiate utilizing hours of my workweek to quite literally hole up and finish my academic degree.

This was in the early 2000s, so I was ahead of my time as a functional remote worker, long before today’s email/smartphone culture which enables people to do their jobs anywhere. Back then, regular office presence was normal and expected, so I needed to do this right to maintain my unique opportunity of a fluid schedule. Initially, my co-workers were gracious to me, understanding my weeks were stocked with high-stakes research and writing deadlines which required isolation. But would this last or would I begin to feel like I needed to shift back from my hermit’s life, returning to normal office rhythm?  

I argue that taking blocks of time away was the only way I could get this kind of thing done. Most days were intense and when I could take all day, I would begin in the wee hours and finish late in the evening or even nighttime. On those days, Judy would check on me midday and maybe slide a sandwich under the door and that was about it. I can still hear inside my head the ten to twenty songs on CDs that served as background music for study sessions over that two-year period. Whether classical or Neuvo, certain rhythms remain embedded in my psyche as I recall that season of grind.

That said, I was able to complete my doctorate while staying in good stead with my employer (in my case, my church). I did so by applying the two principles listed earlier: Identifying people I could trust and applying balanced accountability. Incidentally, my accountability at that career stage came largely by way of email.  I’m so glad things worked out, because completing my doctorate taught me to reach a level of discipline that prepared me for my next career phase in Alaska. Years of rigor paid me back in ways I could not have anticipated. Whatever ministry challenges have come my way, training up church leaders and regularly completing and delivering expository sermons has been my joy. I recognize being a pastor is foundationally a calling from God who gifts, equips, empowers, and provides the way for individuals to serve him. So, taking the path of higher education may not be necessary for every minister to be effective. Likewise, I know that not everyone needs an earned degree for career success in a given field. But the structure of my doctoral program has proven essential and, perhaps more importantly, it forced me to become an effective delegator.

In conclusion, consider the following words from the premier New Testament passage on the practice of delegation in the church:

“You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”

2 Timothy 2:1-2 ESV

Paul’s charge to Timothy envisions an exponential and global impact that starts by first identifying trustworthy men: “entrust to faithful men…” And then secondly, striking the correct balance of applied accountability: “…who will be able to teach others also.” Meaning, let your delegate run with their job, allowing them to rise and fall and rise up again as they seek to be responsible with the baton you have handed to them.