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GOVERNANCE & MINISTRY
by Dan Hotchkiss
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Excerpt
Everyone knows delegation is important, but most of the advice you hear about it is one-sided: “You’ve got to trust your people!” “The best ideas come from the bottom, not the top!” “Detailed job descriptions lay the groundwork for effective evaluation.” Each of these bits of advice captures part of the picture. But followed separately, each leads into its own morass of error. Effective delegators grant authority while also giving guidance and providing for accountability. Delegation is central to organizational life. Staff delegate to one other and to volunteers. The board delegates to the clergy leader. Volunteers recruit and delegate to other volunteers. In every case, effective delegation includes three main elements: authority, guidance, and accountability. Authority = Legitimate Power In many congregations, people don’t like to talk about authority; we’d rather say we’re delegating work. That’s true, of course, as far as it goes. But
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