Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years. And the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. 2 And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh, 3 that I may make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell, 4 but will go to my country and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son Isaac.” Genesis 24:1-4
Delegation is a powerful tool that should be used by leaders. Abraham understood he could no longer care for his household as he should so he charged his servant to insure his son took a wife from his kindred. Just as Abraham delegated this great task we should understand when we should delegate as leaders.
Leaders who cannot delegate create bottlenecks and delays. Leaders who cannot delegate miss deadlines and create crisis. Letting go of things is difficult, especially if you have always been the one in charge. Delegation increases productivity as two are better than one. Delegation is a form of discipleship. Allowing someone you have mentored and trusted, shows you believe what you have taught. Letting others take the reins doesn’t mean we have given up, it just means we have taught well.
Delegation in missions, both in the field and at home, demands leading of the Holy Spirit. On the mission field the only people available to delegate, even the simplest of tasks, are those to whom you are there to minister. Trying to do it alone definitely is not the answer. Through church partnerships, the first step is prayer and setting up a local prayer team. Prayer teams are a perfect form of delegation and discipleship. The second step is communication and creating those lines of communication. Communication teams are another form of delegation by the local church. With communication the Holy Spirit moves both on the missionary and the partner church in these critical areas. Delegation both in the field and at home are essential to engagement. Delegation in the supporting church empowers the church to be involved. Support from the local church encourages the missionary and empowers them to delegate ensuring that the Gospel continues even when they are not there.
If Jesus didn’t believe in us to carry the Gospel to every corner of the globe why would He have chosen to die? He has delegated to us (with the leading of the Holy Spirit) the task of reaching the world. Let us also understand that we (and our missionaries) cannot do it alone. Pray that God shows you where and how you can delegate so that, through you, the Great Commission is fulfilled.
Wayne Pierce
Operations Lead