There is a familiar saying: “Teamwork makes the dream work.” It means that working together as a team can produce extraordinary results. However, this saying does not imply that teamwork is easy. In fact, the easiest way to work is to work alone. Yet the scope of what one person can accomplish alone is extremely limited. If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together. Great and meaningful achievements are possible only through teamwork.
Teamwork begins when a leader distributes tasks to team members—that is, through delegation. According to business leadership expert Ron Ashkenas, one of the most common mistakes made by newly appointed leaders is doing the work themselves rather than assigning it to their team members.
Why do leaders hesitate to delegate? In Harvard Business Review, Carol A. Walker identifies three main reasons:
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fear that someone else will receive the credit after the task is completed,
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fear of losing control over the person assigned the task, and
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a well-intentioned desire to lighten the workload of team members.
Among pastors who have been called into ministry, few would refrain from delegation because of the first two reasons. Most pastors struggle to delegate for the third reason—a compassionate heart. Moreover, when a pastor who is the “best expert” in the ministry handles the task personally, the work can be done quickly and efficiently. When the same task is delegated, it often takes longer and the result may feel unsatisfactory. As the saying goes, “It’s more frustrating than helpful.” Rather than enduring the discomfort of watching someone else struggle, it feels easier to do it oneself.
Pastors who lead large churches and work with associate pastors, ministry staff, and administrative teams are less likely to struggle with delegation. However, in small churches—where a pastor and perhaps one assistant must minister alongside lay members—nine out of ten pastors continue to serve “faithfully” on their own, unable to delegate for the reasons described above. (Most small churches cannot afford additional staff.) If you are one of these sincere and hardworking pastors, it is worth listening carefully to the advice of leadership experts.
Sam Lloyd, Director of the Management Center at the Southern Methodist University (SMU) School of Business, states that delegating work to team members is the clearest way a leader demonstrates trust and affirms the value of their contribution. The Leadership Center at the University of Dayton goes even further, identifying a leader’s inability to delegate as one of the most destructive forces to teamwork. When leaders fail to delegate appropriately, they not only prevent team members from developing competence but also rob them of opportunities to grow into leaders themselves. Eventually, the team disintegrates.
When a pastor, out of compassion, chooses to handle ministry tasks personally rather than entrusting them to weary elders or deacons, the result is inevitable exhaustion. Yet more troubling than pastoral burnout is this: because of the pastor’s thoughtfulness, elders and deacons are deprived of opportunities to grow as ministry leaders. Consequently, the church remains dependent on one overworked pastor, perpetually struggling without capable workers.
Have you ever seen a church served by a “faithful servant” pastor, yet unable to grow in ministry or impact? A leader who cannot delegate is not an effective pastoral leader. After His resurrection, Jesus entrusted an enormous mission to His disciples—men who had barely escaped defeat and remained spiritually fragile. Yet the Lord delegated to them the Great Commission:
“Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19–20).
Through this command, Jesus demonstrated how deeply He trusted His disciples and how highly He valued their contribution. As they received the Holy Spirit and carried out the Great Commission, they were transformed into extraordinary apostles.
Leaders are formed not in classrooms, but in the field. How many potential lions have remained mere kittens because well-meaning pastors hesitated to draw tired and busy people into the work of ministry? When compassion prevents delegation, that very kindness weakens the church of Christ. “Teamwork makes the dream work.” Without delegation, there is no teamwork.