In his book Eventually, It’s the System, Shin Kyung-yeol argues that the true driving force of the business world is “goals and execution.” Once he grasped this principle, he moved beyond simply working hard. Each year, he adjusted his activities according to a clear compass called definite goals.
The most important decision he made was to build a system of delegation.
Like most entrepreneurs in the early stages, he initially carried everything alone. He worked more than fourteen hours a day and generated substantial income. But that was his ceiling. Increasing his working hours to earn more would only reduce his productivity.
For one month, he carefully recorded and analyzed his daily tasks. He discovered that more than half of what he was doing consisted of simple, routine work that anyone could handle. So he boldly hired an assistant and delegated those tasks, freeing himself to focus on what only he could do.
At first, paying the assistant’s salary felt burdensome. But over time, revenue grew. Later, he hired a marketing specialist and a video editor, entrusting them with professional responsibilities. Paying additional salaries was not easy. Yet as teamwork took root, his income steadily increased. Today, he works systematically with six core professionals and has established one of the strongest brands in his industry.
The Apostle Paul emphasizes in Ephesians 4:11–12 that various leaders are given to equip the saints so that together they may build up the church. In 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12:6–8, he further explains that the diverse gifts given to the church must cooperate to strengthen the body.
Yet implementing this is not simple.
In many small churches, the senior pastor carries 120 percent of the ministry load. This is a severe overload. And when an overloaded pastor runs harder, overall productivity inevitably declines.
Why do we struggle to break out of this structure?
The reasons are complex. There are real limitations and painful circumstances. But Shin Kyung-yeol identifies the key to his escape from overload: desperation.
He writes:
“Desperation was like a seed. If you merely hold it in your hands, nothing happens. It must be planted in the soil, watered daily, and sometimes protected from harsh winds. I transformed vague passion into a concrete strategy and gathered small acts of execution into a solid system. Along the way, I treated every person I met with sincerity. Eventually, that tiny seed grew into a vast forest of 1,000 colleagues and 70 branches. That is the magic of desperation I experienced.”
Desperation is not merely an emotion. It gains power when it becomes a strategy.
At the 2026 Milano–Cortina Winter Olympics, snowboarder Choi Ga-on won the gold medal in the women’s event. In her first run, she fell hard and lay on the ground for some time. In her second run, despite severe knee pain, she fell again and fractured three fingers. Yet she did not withdraw. She attempted a third run.
Why didn’t she give up?
Was it not desperation?
We pastors also carry this desperation. In prayer, it burns intensely. But now we must take one more step. Even if our environment makes it difficult to escape structural overload, let us find capable people, train them, share the ministry, and build a system that allows the pastor to focus on what only the pastor must do.
When desperation becomes strategy, and strategy becomes a system, the church will be built firmly and sustainably.