Empowerment in Ministry: Unleashing the Power of Delegation for Pastors

Delegation has transformative potential for you and your local church, unlocking new levels of impact in your ministry and church.

By Aaron Summers

In the heart of every pastor lies a vision of a thriving congregation and a community transformed by the power of faith in action. Imagine a church where the burdens of leadership are shared, where every member is equipped and empowered to contribute their unique gifts and talents to the ministry. Picture a vibrant culture of delegated tasks where trust and collaboration fuel growth and innovation.

This is more than a dream; it’s a tangible reality waiting to be unleashed. Delegation has transformative potential for you and your local church, unlocking new levels of impact and fulfillment in your ministry and church.

The findings from the Greatest Needs of Pastors study reveal a reality far from what we just imagined.

• 77% of pastors say developing leaders and volunteers is a ministry need they need to give attention to or invest time in. 
• 55% of pastors say they find avoiding over-commitment and overwork challenging. 
• 51% of pastors say time management is an aspect of their personal life that needs attention. 
• 63% of pastors say they face stress in ministry. 

Friend, you do too much, and it’s killing your and your church’s potential. Our constant need to perform creates stress, fatigue, marital struggles, and burnout. For many, our fire is fading fast. How can we transition from doing to delegating?

Self examination

Before we blame others for our lack of delegation, we must look at ourselves. First, we feel the pressure to do it all. Dr. Mels Carbonell, president and founder of Uniquely You Resources, shared research showing 72% of Americans are passive. In other words, people will let you do whatever you want to do.

“Before we blame others for our lack of delegation, we must look at ourselves.” — @aaronwsummers Share on X

Pastors suffering from a lack of delegation are active leaders who feed off of action and lead a group of people who will let them. Pastors often have demanding schedules filled with various responsibilities, including sermon preparation, counseling sessions, and administrative tasks. They may feel overwhelmed by their workload and believe it’s quicker and easier to do things themselves rather than taking the time to delegate and oversee tasks.

Second, we enjoy the praise when we’ve completed the task. I had a staff member who consistently did things at the last minute. They would gripe and complain about how no one would help them, and they would be stuck at church until the late hours of the night finishing the project. But when they finished, they certainly enjoyed receiving praise from people. This can be addictive.

Third, related to the former, we have poor time management. The staff member who became addicted to receiving praise was conditioned to continue with poor time management.

Fourth, we have control issues. Pastors may also struggle with letting go of control over certain aspects of their ministry. They may fear delegating tasks will result in someone doing things differently than they would do them themselves, which can be challenging for those accustomed to having a high level of control over their work.

Spiritual examination

The transformation from doing to delegating begins with an honest look at what we must do. For a moment, let’s only consider what we’ve been called to do instead of what others have charged us to do. Remember, the passivity of your people means they will let you do whatever you will do. Pastor, we must prioritize what’s important. Reflecting on the God-given tasks of a pastor, here are five essential things you must do. You need to delegate the rest of your tasks.

“The transformation from doing to delegating begins with an honest look at what we must do.” — @aaronwsummers Share on X

1. Preach sermons

The primary responsibility of a pastor is to preach sermons and teach the congregation. While they may invite guest speakers or involve other members in teaching roles, the pastor’s preaching and teaching ministry is typically considered non-delegable.

2. Provide spiritual leadership

Pastors are expected to provide spiritual leadership to their congregation and offer pastoral care and counseling to members in need. While they may involve other leaders or refer members to professional counselors when appropriate, the role of providing spiritual guidance and support is yours to do.

3. Administer sacraments

Pastors are responsible for administering sacraments such as baptism and communion and performing rituals like weddings and funerals. While they may have assistance from other clergy or lay leaders during these ceremonies, the pastor’s presence and participation are typically essential.

4. Cast vision

Pastors are often seen as the spiritual leaders of their congregation and are responsible for casting vision, setting direction, and providing overall leadership to the church community. While they may seek input and involvement from others in decision-making processes, the pastor’s role in providing vision and direction is vital.

5. Uphold high ethics

Pastors are expected to uphold high standards of ethics and morality and to serve as examples of Christian living to their congregations. While they may have accountability structures in place and seek guidance from other leaders, the responsibility of providing ethical and moral leadership is theirs.

Schedule examination

Many may be familiar with the Eisenhower model of time management. According to this model, your life is basically built into four quadrants: do, schedule, delegate, and delete.

1. Do or schedule

The five things you must do as a pastor fall under the first two quads: do or schedule. It’s up to you to choose which box they go in, depending on the level of urgency. Tasks in the “do” quad are both urgent and important. They require immediate attention and directly contribute to your goals, well-being, or responsibilities. They should be handled promptly and given priority.

Tasks in the “schedule” quad are important for your long-term goals, growth, and well-being but are not necessarily urgent. Examples include strategic planning, relationship building, skill development, and preventive maintenance. While they may not have immediate deadlines, they are crucial for personal and professional development.

2. Delegate

Much of what fills our time as pastors falls into the bottom half of the matrix. The transformative power of delegation and deletion provides you with time, energy, stability, and leadership capacity. Delegation tasks are urgent and seem to require immediate attention. Still, they are not important in the grand scheme of your responsibilities.

“The transformative power of delegation and deletion provides you with time, energy, stability, and leadership capacity.” — @aaronwsummers Share on X

Think deeply about what tasks you do that someone else could do if you trained and delegated others to do them. What volunteer skills do your people have? Consider senior adults, hospital visits, calendaring, facility management, graphic design, etc. These tasks eat up our time and passion when others should do them. You must train your church to understand your biblical roles and responsibilities. Then, you can slowly start handing off tasks as Peter did in Acts 6.

3. Delete

Finally, tasks in the “delete” quad are not urgent or important and must be deleted from your schedule. They are often time-wasters or distractions that don’t contribute to your goals or well-being. Examples include trivial activities, excessive social media browsing, some meetings, and low-priority tasks. Spending too much time on these tasks can detract from more meaningful and productive activities. These tasks should be minimized or eliminated to focus on what truly matters.

The vision of a thriving congregation and a community transformed by the power of faith in action is attainable. However, you must work hard to examine yourself, your spiritual call, and your scheduling.

A church where the burdens of leadership are shared, and every member is equipped and empowered to contribute their unique gifts and talents to the ministry can be yours. This is more than a dream; it’s a tangible reality waiting to be unleashed. The transformative potential of delegation for you and your local church will impact and fulfill your ministry and church.

For permission to republish this article, contact Marissa Postell Sullivan.