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Delegation: The How
Issue #428, July 29, 2026
We’ve answered several questions about delegation from the story of the apostles in the early church. We looked at why we don’t delegate, why we should delegate, how we determine what to delegate and to whom we should delegate. Now, how do we delegate?
1 In 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. (Acts 6:1-6, NIV).
This passage doesn’t give many details of how to delegate but it does provide guidelines that can help us learn how to effectively delegate tasks to others.
Delegate by clarifying the task.
“We will turn this responsibility over to them.” The apostles made it clear that the task they were handing over was the work of the distribution of food to the widows. The desired outcome was also clear—to solve the complaints about inequitable distribution. The limits of the task were also identified. The apostles were not turning over the “ministry of the word” to these new leaders.
Some leaders delegate a task without being crystal clear about the expected outcomes and limits of authority being granted. But serving leaders take time to clarify exactly what is being delegated, what outcomes are expected, and what levels of authority are being granted.
Delegate by releasing responsibility for the task.
The apostles said they would “turn this...over to them.” They deliberately released responsibility to the new leaders who would now be fully responsible for the distribution of food. Since the men chosen were “full of the spirit and wisdom” they were released to do the task. I love the African proverb about delegation, “If you give someone a goat, let go of the rope!”
Many leaders assign tasks to others but don’t actually release them to do the work. They constantly check on the progress or micromanage the way the work is being done—or even step back in and do it themselves. But once serving leaders have clarified the task and the level of authority granted, they release the person to do the work!
Delegate by establishing accountability for the task.
“They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.” This was a public act that demonstrated the trust and authority granted by the apostles. At the same time, it showed that while the new leaders were trusted and released to work, they were still accountable to the apostles. Releasing responsibility does not eliminate accountability.
Some leaders release tasks to others and then don’t establish clear accountability for the work. But serving leaders clarify accountability when they release authority. They proactively establish appropriate methods of reporting and assessment from the beginning.
Delegation is a powerful tool to multiply leaders in your organization. It’s not easy to do well, and every leader makes mistakes along the way. But you can learn to do it and the results will be worth the effort! (See below for a free resource that can help.)
For further reflection and discussion:
Identify a task that you should delegate to someone you lead. Then work through the questions below to develop a plan of how you will delegate the task.
- Clarify the task.
- What is the task?
- What is the goal of delegating the task?
- What level of authority am I granting with the task? (Do I expect the person to follow my instructions, recommend a plan of action for my approval, or use their own judgment to complete the task?)
- Release responsibility.
- When will I release the responsibility for the task to this person?
- Who else needs to know about this change of responsibility?
- What will I do to resist the urge to step in and take the work back?
- Establish accountability.
- When will I plan to meet with the leader and review progress on the new task?
- What will I do if corrections need to be made?
- Have I clearly communicated this plan to the person you want to take on the new task?
Until next time, yours on the journey,
Jon Byler
*For a framework to help you delegate tasks and provide the needed training and accountability for the assignment, you may find the LeadersServe DELEGATE Tool helpful. Download it here.
**If you want the entire series on delegation in one document, download a PDF here. |
