Volunteer-Centered Leader: I, Leader

Are you tired? Or, are you perhaps just getting burned out of what you have been doing for months or years? Maybe you are in a new leadership position and things seem never ending? I want to help you change that by viewing a familiar story in God’s Word in a new way that will set the foundation for the rest of this series.

Same Story, New Direction

Acts chapter 15 has a story that we are often familiar with – Paul is speaking with Barnabas about going back to the towns where they planted churches and taught the local believers. Many of us have focused on the fact that Barnabas and Paul had a disagreement, while others of us see it as the basis for missionary outreach. I want to focus on the precedent that they set: preparing and letting others lead.

Paul and Barnabas, prior to their disagreement, were spreading the gospel to different areas and helping to build new churches. They spent enough time to prepare the leaders in the area, then they moved to the next area. They used letters and messengers to work out any critical issues while they were gone, then they visited with the leaders again in person as God guided them. They didn’t force them to conform to a specific design, nor did they micro-manage each local church body. Rather, they provided God’s direction and let them lead with their God-given talents and gifts.

I, Leader

So, why is it that we, as leaders, insist on doing everything ourselves? What if Paul and Barnabas had decided that they would rather stay at the first town they visited and never move, because the local leaders might not do church the way they would? Imagine the number of opportunities that would have been missed!

Now, I ask: are you leading the way Paul and Barnabas did? Are you training others to do the work, identifying those that exhibit leadership, train them, then oversee them? Or, are you still just “doing, doing, doing” until you can’t take it anymore?

We, Leaders

I will be the first to admit it – I like how I do things and often prefer to do it myself than let someone else do it. Especially when it may take me 15 minutes to complete a task or 2 hours (or more) to train someone else. I still battle with this desire at times – it isn’t easy to let go. But, when I do, God blesses me and the team in a big way! It makes the team better because it isn’t the “James show”, it is a cohesive team that is contributing together.

As leaders, we need to view our volunteers as people, not resources or “cogs” in the wheel. This means that we must be willing to give our time to prepare them, rather than just doing it ourself. What we can fail to see is that most people are willing to learn if given the opportunity. In fact, many will lead if they are properly trained and the time requirements don’t exceed their existing commitment. So, why don’t we take advantage of this and allow others to lead?

This volunteer-centered approach requires a cost – a cost that many don’t want to make. Throughout this series, we’ll examine what the cost looks like, as well as how we can try and reduce the overall cost while making a much greater impact within the Kingdom of God.

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