Delegation

A staff pastor laments relying upon other people to contribute to his success, “I’ve worked really hard….  I’ve utilized principles and people to help cover [my] weak spots.”

Using ministry principles, tactics, and volunteers to cover “weak spots” is something every successful pastor does. It’s important to know your strengths and to build on them, but it is equally important to know your weaknesses and to either avoid them or compensate for them. Rick Warren (Saddleback Valley Community Church) and Bill Hybels (Willow Creek Community Church) aren’t youth leaders or office managers. They hire people to do what they don’t do well and don’t have a passion for. There is solid biblical support for this.

In Acts 6, we learn that the need for the fair distribution of food to widows in the Jerusalem church was needlessly burdening the Twelve Apostles and distracting them from the ministry to which God had called them and for which they were uniquely gifted: teaching, prayer, and leadership. Rather than becoming personally involved in the situation they delegated responsibility (vs. 3) and authority (vs. 6) for meeting this need to seven men, likely under the leadership of Stephen (vs. 5). This enabled the Apostles to devote themselves unhindered to prayer and “the ministry of the Word.”

We read that, as a result of this decision, “the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly…” In other words, the Apostles divided the work and doubled the outcome.

Delegation Divides the Work and Doubles the Outcome

Giving people significant responsibility is not a matter of covering your “weak spots.” Viewed positively, it is a matter of authorizing them to perform tasks that contribute to the success of the entire ministry. Everyone wants to feel like they are making a significant contribution to a cause that is bigger than they are. Your job is to inspire people with a God-given, biblical, and realistic vision for an outcome that is desirable and preferable to what they have now, and to train and mentor them so that they can accomplish that vision with you and with one another. Follow this basic process:

1. Let them see you do it.
2. Explain to them why you did it that way.
3. Let them try it with you observing.
4. Talk to them about their experience
5. Let them try it again (never alone).
6. Reward their success.
7. Authorize them to continue performing those tasks, reporting to you.

Can’t Win for Losing

Many of us can relate to the frustration expressed in the following comment: “I’ve tried to focus on the small areas of success while watching other areas of failure crop up constantly.”

There’s an old expression that people sometimes say in this position: that they “can’t win for losing.” No matter how much they try to succeed they can’t overcome their persistent failures. Sometimes it feels like we move one step forward and two steps back. The truth is, all pastors experience that from time-to-time. What makes some pastors successful is that they have moved the equation into the positive category, two steps forward and one step back. Obtaining this net positive result requires a combination of determination and smarts. We persistently critique, analyze, and correct our performance in an effort to improve our outcomes. While we might experience some set-backs, in the big picture we will eventually have more wins than losses. We lose only when we give up.

Everyone in ministry experiences an endless parade of successes and failures. How I wish every battle ended in victory! But it doesn’t. Sometimes we step out unprepared:

• We don’t know who the enemy is.
• We don’t have adequate intelligence on the enemy.
• We don’t have all the material and human resources that we need.
• Our timing is off.
• Our attitude is wrong.
• Our morale is low.
• We don’t have the will to fight.
• We haven’t inspired and persuaded the troops.
• We don’t have a winnable strategy for deploying the troops.
• We haven’t supplied the troops with the right weapons or trained them adequately.
• We haven’t stopped to seek God’s will, guidance, and blessing.

And when we step out prematurely or unprepared, sometimes we experience great losses. Joshua did. But then he learned from his experiences and became a stronger leader.

Another ingredient here is bringing our expectations in line with reality. Joshua didn’t take on the Canaanites in one fell swoop. He slowly acquired more victories than defeats by taking on one city at a time. I might hold out hope of playing my guitar like Eric Clapton, but it just ain’t gonna happen—at least not this year. I’d be setting myself up for disappointment. So I bring my expectations in line with my potential and celebrate every time I learn a new chord or rhythm. Sometimes these little accomplishments eventually add up to a lot of progress. You know, baby steps.

Finally, instead of fretting over crop failure, learn why the crop failed:

For every problem you face in ministry, there is a solution with a corresponding benefit. If you can’t identify the problem and don’t know the solution there are more experienced farmers out there who have learned how grow a successful crop. Swallow your pride and ask another pastor for help.

Realistic Self-Assessment

A dejected staff pastor writes, “I am not gifted or called for youth ministry. I’ve actually been really bad at it.”

Realizing that youth ministry—or any other form of ministry— isn’t your bailiwick is a great moment of self-discovery. Being “really bad” at one type of ministry doesn’t mean that you will perform poorly in others. All it means is that you have successfully narrowed your field of acceptable options. In order to make a successful transition to more enjoyable ministry elsewhere you will need to know how the field of options has narrowed. This requires a realistic self-assessment. Begin by asking yourself a few important questions about your experience, such as:

CAREER

• What did you enjoy about this ministry position and would hope to repeat in future ministry positions?
• What didn’t you enjoy about this ministry position and would hope to avoid in future ministry positions?
• How does this experience narrow the field of ministry options for you?
• How does it point you in the direction of more successful ministry?
• What are you really passionate about in ministry and can this become an occupation for you?
• What was your biggest area of failure and what can you do to prevent it from happening in the future?
• What was your biggest success and why was it successful?

RELATIONSHIPS

• How did this situation affect your relationship with your wife and children and what will you do in the future to protect you family from the potentially negative influence of your work experience?
• What insights can your wife share with you about your personality, gifts, skills, character, and calling to ministry?
• What advice would your senior pastor give you about your ministry skills and goals?
• How have people encouraged you and have their comments helped you recognize strengths that could guide you into ministry that you would enjoy?
• What advice would a trusted counselor or mentor give you?
• How did other people contribute to your failures and successes? (youth, parents, volunteers, senior pastor, etc.)

FAITH

• How was your devotion to the Lord during this period and how did it contribute to your ministry?
• Were you capable of receiving insights from God’s Word about your situation? What were they?
• Did your experience tend to isolate you from the Lord or drive you to him, and how will you respond when similar circumstances arise in the future?

Interim Ministry During Pastoral Flux

A certain staff pastor has endured considerable turnover in the senior pastor’s office during his brief three-year tenure. The first senior pastor was ending a long and successful ministry. The second was an interim pastor whose doctrine was problematic and who treated staff members harshly. He outstayed his welcome long before the year was over and left the church. Afterward, the church hired a senior pastor who is a gifted leader and who is widely appreciated as a good man. The staff pastor would like to know how to respond to the uncertain wind of changing pastorates. I wonder if he’s tried kite-surfing.

A friend of mine is a kite-surfer. With each hand he is tethered to a kite about thirty feet above his head. Beneath his feet a special board enables him to maneuver on waves that are constantly in flux because of the wind, tides, and currents. Using the wind, he gathers speed or gives it away, he takes a hard turn to the left or an easy one to the right, he jumps hard on a wave to get airborne or he glides easily across the surface on a stretch of calm water. And if he loses the wind, or fails to harness its power, or doesn’t judge the waves properly, he will fall into the ocean. His ride will be over.

The key to his success is staying in motion while responding to rapidly changing conditions.

The Four Winds

My friend’s experience as a kite-surfer is not unlike that of staff pastors. Staff pastors can ride above the uncertain waves created by changing pastorates if they use the prevailing wind of congregational opinion to maintain momentum toward the goal of Christ-honoring, God-glorifying ministry. The staff pastor must listen closely to people in an effort to discern the direction of their movement. Are they moving toward supporting a pastor or moving away from him? Are they forming separate camps? Is a storm building or waning?

My friend the kite-surfer has to be able to discern what kind of wind is blowing. Similarly, a staff member must be able to discern the nature of the wind that is blowing in the church. There are four winds of opinion that the staff member should look for.

Successful staff pastors are able to respond to the changing conditions around them. This doesn’t require endorsing opinions or aligning yourself with parties. You don’t have to like the wind’s force or direction, and neither do you have to follow its direction—especially if it’s going in the wrong direction. But you must be aware of the direction the congregation and its leaders are moving and respond skillfully or your ride will be over.

The Four Skills

In addition to discerning the wind, several key skills will keep you from sinking.

As a starting place, stay true to your job description. This should clearly delineate your ministry area (youth, worship, pastoral care, etc.) along with specific responsibilities that you have and tasks that you are expected to perform. Don’t assume that this is optional or that it is a list of suggestions. Some senior pastors view job descriptions that way, as fluid documents that change over time, but not all. Don’t be caught drifting away from your job description when another senior pastor enters the scene who expects you to abide by the “letter of the law.” It will be better for you during this transition period to follow every “jot and tittle” of your job description without having to be reminded to do so.

Secondly, be flexible enough to do whatever other tasks you might be given by the senior pastor du jour and to do them without complaint. Be prepared to bend in the wind. Trees that don’t have the flexibility to bend in a strong wind will break. Often those trees are already dead, or they are alive but planted in weak soil, or they are alive but unhealthy. What about you? Are you spiritually alive, planted in the fertile and strong soil of nurturing relationships, and nourished by the health-fortifying properties of God’s Word and prayer? If the answer to those questions is “yes” you will probably have the flexibility to bend with whatever storm passes through the church. Most importantly, don’t resist the wind. Be willing to bend.

Next, tread carefully. Some people in the church will freely share their opinions about the departed senior pastor or about the current senior pastor. The persuasive tone of their voice will be hard to resist. You’ll feel persuaded to adopt their opinions—if you haven’t already. Maybe everything you are hearing and thinking is right. Maybe the pastor is everything people are saying about him—to his credit or discredit. But can you know with certainty that every voice you hear is trustworthy? Remember, you have your own career in ministry to look out for. It will be best to steer clear of factional groups, no matter how sympathetic you may feel. When you hear comments from people, don’t hesitate to tell them:

• “I really don’t have anything to say about that.”
• “That’s interesting, but I can’t comment.”
• “I don’t know enough about the situation.”
• “Thanks for sharing that with me. I can’t speak to that issue, but I’ll keep your comments in mind.”
• “I can’t do anything about that. Have you talked to a board member?”

Another person to tread carefully around is the senior pastor. If he feels that his employment by the church is threatened he may attempt to garner your support. He may take you into his confidence and slander church members. He may give you a distorted account of a conversation he had with a prominent church leader or with several leaders in a recent board meeting. He might be very persuasive. He also might be wrong. If you align yourself with him too closely, you could find yourself in the board’s crosshairs. This leads to the next point.

Finally, don’t attach yourself to the senior pastor’s star. Some staff members become enamored with the senior pastor’s charisma or authority. They feel as though they can ride his popularity into a successful ministry of their own. Of maybe they feel that their professional duty binds them to be loyal to him regardless of the personal price it may require. After all, the nature of ministry is sacrifice.

Be aware that, especially during this period of transition, the senior pastor’s performance is being watched and scrutinized by the church and board. If he makes the grade after he’s hired, he’ll stay. Many churches have a probationary period for senior pastors or a mandatory vote at the end of his first, second or third year that will confirm him as a permanent senior pastor. He might stay; or he might go. If you’ve attached yourself to his star and it falls, you may well flame out with it. You’ll both be looking for a job.

You would be wise to read the church’s bylaws to see what provisions there are for a probationary period for the senior pastor or for a congregational vote on his continued employment after he begins his ministry. Either one of these related situations could set him up to prove his job performance quickly. If he feels a sense of urgency, he may ride you hard so that he gets the congregational support he’ll need to stay.

On the other hand, if the senior pastor is genuinely gifted, compassionate, self-confident, and competent; if he has a winsome personality; if he is a careful and faithful expositor of the Word and an inspirational speaker, he will be well-liked by the church. He will quickly gain their support. You’ll see it in the way they respond to him, you’ll hear it in the tone of their voices when they talk about him, you’ll notice it in the words they use to talk about him. There will be a certain warm, contagious feeling surrounding him. Aligning yourself with him and following his leadership will be easy and natural. Supporting him will be to your advantage.

The Serpents and Doves

During transitional periods in churches, I’ve found the following words of Jesus to be helpful:

“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.  Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues.” (Matthew 10:16-17)

Maybe you were expecting an encouraging word. Listen to me. When wolves are in the area I’d prefer to hear a warning.

Be Wise as Serpents

As a staff pastor, be keenly aware of your surroundings, treading carefully in all circumstances and relationships.

• Be wary of confiding in people, whether board members, staff members, or church members. You have no way of knowing who has the senior pastor’s ear, or how your story might be amended and distorted as it spreads throughout the church. Everyone loves a good story. Do what you can to make sure that you aren’t one of the characters. The wolves could be anywhere.
• Be careful with whom you associate. In every situation that is in flux, lay leaders emerge. They are probably on the church board. They take a stronger leadership role because the congregation trusts them and because they feel obliged to lead. Learn who they are. Watch their behavior. Where do their sympathies lie? You might need an advocate sometime soon, so prayerfully consider befriending them. If you do this and the senior pastor discovers it, he will likely assume that you are being seditious, consorting with the enemy. Your association will be viewed as a betrayal of his trust. So, be wise and judicious. And as I mentioned above, be aware that the wolves could be anywhere.

Be Innocent as Doves

As a staff pastor, be untainted by sin and by sinful ways of relating to people.

• Allow your good character and positive attitude to be evident in all situations. Don’t talk about people behind their back. Instead, be a peacemaker; speak well of people and not ill.
• Be careful not to develop a critical spirit; there will be plenty of people around you with critical spirits and the criticism may fly.
• Let the Holy Spirit overflow your life as you walk in a holy relationship with God.

People will take notice of you and will praise you in conversation with others. The dove’s symbolism in scripture as a bird of peace is helpful in this verse. If you have successfully steered clear of factional groups as a minister of peace your wings won’t get clipped.