Worth the mess
Involving people in leadership comes with a price tag.This is a challenge for those of us who want everything perfect the first time. If your number one priority is that things will always be clean, tidy and predictable you will probably do a lot of things ALONE. Why? There is less mess. There are less potential issues. There is also less opportunity for increase.
"Where no oxen are, the trough is clean; but much increase comes by the strength of an ox."Proverbs 14:4
When we add opportunities for others to lead we multiply our ability to see increase. If we keep everything to ourselves, things may seem to run smoother, but we limit the potential increase.Here are a few mindsets that keep us from involving others:I can do it faster, better or more accurate myself.It takes too much time to train someone else.No one has the necessary skills except me.I am the professional. I'm the expert.If others do it, what will I do?I'm just trying to figure things out for myself...I'm not at a place of clarity where I can involve others.What if they do it better than me? Will I lose my position in the eyes of other people?Here are a few reasons you need to involve others:Someone involved you.Chances are strong that you are where you are at today because someone, somewhere along the line believed in you. Someone took a risk, and probably even cleaned up a mess that you left. But it was worth it.You will go further, faster.It takes more time at the beginning to add others. You have to train them. You have to develop clarity of where you are going and how they will help you get there. But when we make these investments, we are actually multiplying ourselves. And when we have more people moving and leading in the same direction, we go further, faster.We need increase.I want to see increase in the areas of ministry that God has entrusted me with. I don't want to bury potential multiplication for the fear of mess. Our churches need to grow. Our leadership teams need to grow. Our influence needs to grow. This doesn't happen with the efforts of one person. It happens when we incorporate people into the process.Multiplication will sometimes bring mess. It's worth it when it comes to involving and raising up leaders!