I am not the (only) "Stewardship Guy"

Delegating authority - Exodus 18:13-20

The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, "What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?"

Moses answered him, "Because the people come to me to seek God's will. Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God's decrees and laws." Moses' father-in-law replied, "What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.

Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people's representative before God and bring their disputes to him. Teach them the decrees and laws, and show them the way to live and the duties they are to perform.

Stewardship by leaders requires us to delegate responsibility. Jethro encouraged Moses to "share the load" by distributing aspects of the work among other trustworthy and capable individuals within the community.

This is true within the church, where the 80-20 rule often applies. It is also true for stewardship as we, stewardship officers, seek to extend our influence with others. Here are some ideas that I have tried and am developing:

1. Remind the staff and other constituents that you are not the only stewardship person. The skills to see giftedness in others and encourage the use of gifts is not sole domain of the professional.
2. Let others participate in the process so they can experience the joy of helping others express their love for the Lord through generous giving.
3. Discover talent that may not have been used before, but is just waiting to be asked.
4. Keep repeating and explaining the basic themes until others remember and internalize them. I have many teachers come and tell me how they are seeking the time and talent and treasure opportunities.

When we delegate to others, it frees us to have some of the in-depth discussions we need to have.

And, who knows, the new talent may be a significant upgrade to what we do ourselves.