Delegation is the key to success in any type of organization, yet it can be a serious problem in church management. Many ministry leaders, used to working independently, find it hard to imagine that others can handle tasks more effectively. However, as the church grows, it is impossible to do without the help of additional church staff or volunteers. When leaders perform all tasks alone, their energies are spent on tasks that are not part of their duties (Kouzes & Posner, 2017). This decreases the effectiveness of church leadership, which is not acceptable. This problem is all the more urgent when the church leaders are not experienced and young. They may think they have the energy to manage all areas, but the reality is that multitasking can quickly stress them out. To solve the problem outlined, it will be optimal to use a systematic approach characterized by a full analysis of the situation and making rational decisions based on it.
Key stakeholders are senior pastoral leadership, specific church leadership (elders, deacons), and volunteer leaders appointed to participate in the delegation process. When delegating responsibilities to others, it is necessary to explain to them what is expected of them and, in addition, to define their responsibilities in detail. The optimal solution is to provide a culture of empowerment in which leaders quickly encourage and empower employees and volunteers to participate in various initiatives.
Young leaders often provoke the situation when they perform too many tasks. They are happy to help employees because such demand creates the illusion of their indispensability, value, authority, and trust on the part of the team. Inexperienced leaders do not leave time to tackle higher-level and higher-priority tasks by getting involved in every problem. The leader may take it upon himself to solve the employee’s problems, justifying his actions with his incompetence. However, such motives also lead to the trap of reverse delegation. In such a situation, it is better to assign responsibility for the task to an employee who can solve it under the guidance of a more experienced team member.
The essence of a proper delegation is to plan the task and organize the work process to achieve the goals as quickly and efficiently as possible. The problem of excessive workload can lead to quick burnout of the manager, frustration with the subordinates, or simply a dulling of attention. This leads to a decrease in the motivation of subordinates and a decline in the efficiency of their work. Inexperienced leaders risk falling into the trap of reverse delegation: when they will be forced to do the work for a subordinate himself in the end. At the same time, the volume of tasks, the solution of which is left to the leader, is constantly growing. The diagram below illustrates the key reasons why delegation problems arise (Figure 1).
Figure 1: Fishbone Diagram
Bad leadership is costly to companies that profit from their operations. For example, employee turnover costs $5,500 per employee (Bartram, 2019). It costs a quarter of a million dollars per year in a company of 250 people (Bartman, 2019). Certainly, in the case of a church, these financial numbers have little applicability, but the purpose of its existence is to attract followers. If inexperienced leaders make fatal leadership mistakes, decreased attendance and less employee satisfaction with their time in the church are expected.
The 5 Whys method will be appropriate to solve the problem of delegation. The first question is, why does the delegation problem arise? The answer is that this issue emerges because of ineffective management. The second question is, why is ineffective management common in churches? Mistakes arise from the inexperience of employees and their lack of knowledge of key leadership principles. The third question is, why is it important to delegate in the church? This mechanism is necessary because it allows for more effective management of the organization and frees up the leader for more urgent tasks. The fourth question is, why might churches refuse to implement this method? Fear of changing the power structure within an organization as conservative as the church can cause distrust. The fifth question is, why is it still worth using delegation? This mechanism is proven to improve the quality of church functioning and help young leaders feel more confident.
Delegating authority and various tasks in the Christian church is an essential skill that every leader must possess. This tool increases group productivity and gives others the opportunity to learn and grow to share success. By delegating to others, church leaders are actually allowing them to serve. Knowledgeable leaders achieve better results by calling on people with diverse talents and abilities to help them. The ability to delegate to another creates space for joint discussion, for collegial work. And this is precisely the skill, the effort, because, without humility, it is impossible to participate in a dialogue. Without delegating, it is impossible to let the other participant in the collaborative process share his or her vision and knowledge. Delegation of authority can improve the functioning of the church and make it easier to serve young leaders who do not yet have all the skills needed for successful leadership.