Principles of Leadership - Delegate Authority Part 2

 

This is Chuck Rapp with Multiply, a podcast to provide a word of encouragement for village church planters.

During 2022, my theme is “10 Principles of Spiritual Leadership”.  Today we conclude principle #6, “Delegate Authority”.  

Last time, I closed with this instruction.  “As leaders, it is important that we delegate the necessary authority to others when we assign tasks to them.” I cannot emphasize this enough; if we delegate responsibility without the necessary authority, we will frustrate our followers.  

Today, I want to share six benefits of delegation.  These benefits apply to us, to our followers, and to the ministries that we serve.  

1. Transferring responsibility with authority increases ownership.  Another way of saying this is that when we entrust others with responsibility, their commitment to the work grows.  They feel like they are making a personal impact in the ministry. 

2. Transferring responsibility with authority demonstrates our trust and confidence in others.  This builds loyalty both to us personally as leaders and, more importantly, it builds loyalty to the organization or ministry. 

3. Transferring responsibility with authority stimulates the level of creativity within the team.  When we engage others, we utilize their spiritual gifts and abilities.  As a leader, I find that it generally works best when I instruct others on “what” needs to occur (the outcomes), but leave it to him or her to determine the best way for “how” it should be done.  

4. Transferring responsibility with authority provides the leader with more time for personal development.  We have more opportunity for reflection, for receiving and refining vision.  We must be intentional to set aside this time to seek the Lord for vision.  

5. Transferring responsibility with authority increases organizational productivity.  In my country, we have an idiom, “many hands make light work”.  In other words, when more people are working together, more is accomplished.    

6. Finally, transferring responsibility with authority develops new leaders for the organization.  The development of new leaders is vital to any healthy organization and is also key to succession planning.  I think of an example within VCP.  Two years ago, Claude Douti was asked to take the role of VCP Director.  Because he had equipped and empowered Henoc Eklou to succeed him as an area Supervisor, they were both able to step up to these new responsibilities.     

We see many examples of this model in scripture.  Last time I spoke of Jesus and the Apostles.  Think also of Paul and his Pastoral Epistles to Timothy and Titus (1&2 Timothy, Titus)  

As leaders, we must learn to delegate both responsibility and authority.  

This has been a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters.