The Equipper Newsletter
January 2, 2014
Churches Equipping Saints for Service
   
 
 
 How to Delegate
 
 
"Don't do anything yourself." That's what a woman I trusted, a member of my advisory board, told me as we talked about effective church ministry. She wasn't encouraging laziness. She was stressing delegation. In my experience, delegating is rarely encouraged, or even discussed, among church leaders. Perhaps that's because we confuse it with two other ways of giving work to others: dumping and directing.

Dumping is giving someone a task or a responsibility with a brief, "Here. Now it's yours" then walking away. It feels like relief to the dump-er, is rarely appreciated by the dump-ee, and rarely brings good results.

Directing is giving someone a task and then standing over their shoulder with, "Now do this; now this. No, not that way!" and never walking away. Again, few people appreciate continual, detailed direction, and it shows in the results.

Delegating involves a balance between letting go and remaining in charge. If either half is missing, you end up with something unpleasant

Anyone can learn to delegate. Here's how: (continue)

Click here to continue reading, including:
Why delegate?
Why we don't delegate
How to delegate

 
  Good Stuff
 
 
  • "When God for whatever reason, has wounded you, you learn to minister to others with the same wound." This quote is from "Why the Rabbi Went to Church Last Sunday," a fascinating article in which a Jewish rabbi and friend of Rick Warren reacts to Rick's first sermon after his son's tragic suicide. Rick included service as the sixth and final stage of grieving.
  • Want to retain volunteers? Learn from companies trying to retain their good employees. This article says it's more than perks and, to some extent, even salary. ". . . free massages or beer on tap in the office kitchen don't make up for having a boss who's a jerk, work tasks that aren't stimulating or a role that doesn't allow you to grow." Also, "What actually lands many companies high satisfaction ratings . . . is often a culture that encourages workers to voice opinions and work together�and that rewards those efforts,"
  • Ever think of all the knowledge God has given our churches in their members? Are we seeking out these knowledge volunteers? Susan Ellis talks about them here.
 
 
 Top Ten of 2013
 
 
 
The most viewed articles and resources on www.TheEquipper.org in 2013 as measured by pageviews:
  1. How to Recruit Church Volunteers
  2. How to Do Job Descriptions
  3. Ministry Fair: Getting Connected
  4. About Time and Talent Surveys
  5. Got a Question?
  6. Handout: How to Recruit
  7. Screwtape Writes on Church Volunteers?
  8. How to Fire a Church Volunteer
  9. Asset Mapping
  10. How to Help New Members Serve
 

 
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The Equipper Newsletter published monthly by
Karen Kogler, Equipper Church Volunteerism Resources