Exodus 18:24-25
Moses listened to his father-in-law’s advice and followed his suggestions. He chose capable men from all over Israel and appointed them as leaders over the people. He put them in charge of groups of one thousand, one hundred, fifty, and ten.
Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, paid him a visit in the desert and was thrilled to hear about the amazing way in which God had brought the Israelites out of Egypt. But he was not so thrilled when he saw the way in which Moses handled disputes. From morning till evening Moses would listen to the people’s problems and give them a ruling from God. It was all very impressive, but Jethro could see that it was unsustainable. He suggested that Moses was not only going to wear himself out, but also the people as well! He needed to change, and Jethro encouraged him to recruit other people to consider the simpler cases and to retain for himself only the more difficult ones. It was a straightforward recommendation and Moses was happy to take his father-in-law’s advice.
Every leader needs to learn the skill of delegation. Without it, they wear themselves out, just as Jethro predicted. In the life of a church, delegation is particularly important because God has deliberately given gifts to his Church to enable its work to be done. If one person hugs all the tasks to themselves the church will never grow. Every leader needs to be continually looking for others who can share the responsibilities knowing that, as they take on these tasks, they will grow and the work of the church will be extended. Effective delegation relies on the leader seeing their responsibility to train and encourage those to whom roles are delegated. What should never happen is abdication: when a leader offloads a job on to another person and walks away. This results in people quickly becoming demoralised and giving up.
Thank God for Jethro’s wise advice and for the blessing of loving and thoughtful delegation.
Question
What do you need to learn about wise delegation?
Prayer
Thank you, loving Lord, for those who give me wise advice. Help me to listen to it and turn it into action. Amen
