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Delegation: The Why Not
Issue #424, June 3, 2026
Nearly all leaders know they should delegate tasks to others, but knowing and doing are two different things! In this series, we’ll examine delegation by reflecting on a time when the early church leaders learned to delegate.
1In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3 Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.” 5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. 7 So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith (Acts 6:1-7, NIV).
The church leaders faced a problem with the distribution of food and they chose to delegate that work to seven others chosen by the people. Their delegation was not ‘dumping’ tasks on others; it was a deliberate attempt to release responsibility and power to others so that others would grow and the work would multiply.
Before we look at other elements of delegation, in this issue we’ll look at why we don’t delegate!
Delegation is hard work.
Delegation is not easy. The Twelve had to call for meetings, take time to select other leaders, give them guidance on their new assignments and check back with them to make sure things were going well.
Some leaders take the easy path and do the work themselves. But serving leaders are willing to do the hard work because they want to see others grow and the work expand.
Delegation is risky work.
The apostles had no way of knowing how successfully the new leaders would accomplish their task. Delegation of a new task always involves the risk of failure.
Some leaders refuse to risk failure, so they don’t delegate. But serving leaders recognize that while delegation is risky, it is best for long-term impact.
Delegation is painful work.
The process of deciding to delegate can be painful. Before this incident, the Twelve Apostles were in charge of everything! They were acknowledged as the leaders, and it felt good to be in charge! Their first impulse, when they recognized the problem, could have been to work harder and longer hours to get the job done. Some of the apostles probably enjoyed the work of food distribution. It may have reminded them of the times they helped Jesus distribute food and some likely loved the logistics involved. Letting go of control and tasks we enjoy can be painful realities in delegation.
Some leaders avoid the pain of delegation by doing all the work themselves. But serving leaders sacrifice their own preferences for the good of their team and the organization.
For further reflection and discussion:
- What has been my experience with delegation, either in receiving tasks delegated to me by others or in my own delegation? Has this been a mostly positive or mostly negative experience? How have these experiences impacted my own ability or willingness to delegate?
- In what ways is delegation hard for me to do? Am I so busy that I don’t have the time to invest in helping others succeed? If so, how does that impact my leadership capacity?
- In what ways is delegation risky for me in my current role? What are the fears that might keep me from delegating to others on my team? What does that indicate about my belief in the potential of the people around me?
- How painful is it for me to let go of control? In what ways is my own ego wrapped up in my leadership? How does this impact the growth of my team?
- What tasks are most painful for me to release to others? Why is it hard to allow others to do these tasks and what does it say about my own leadership?
Until next time, yours on the journey,
Jon Byler
In the next issue, we’ll look at why we should delegate. |
