Ministry is busy. There are volunteers to recruit and to train. Lessons to organize. Events to plan. Budgets to maintain. Meetings to attend. And so much more. At times, it feels like it’s all simply way too much for us to handle. That overwhelming feeling is actually a good thing—a gift from God. God never designed kids ministry to rest on one set of shoulders, no matter how broad they might be. If a kidmin leader can do everything needed to be done in a ministry, that ministry isn’t big enough!

Thus, ministry is never to be about us as leaders doing everything on our own. Instead, it’s to be about a team of leaders, rallied around the cause of making much of Jesus, working together to help kids know, love, trust, and live like Jesus. That’s far too lofty a goal for just one person, no matter how gifted and motivated that person might be. And that’s why delegation might be one of a leader’s most important skills. A God-sized ministry requires godly delegation.

Most kidmin leaders know it’s important to delegate, but many struggle to delegate all the same. For some, it’s a control issue. We don’t want to delegate because we’re afraid that things won’t be done the way we want it done. For others, it’s a security issue. We don’t want to delegate because we’re afraid that people won’t perceive we’re earning our keep. For still others, it’s a busyness issue. We might want to delegate, but we’re so busy we don’t make time to do it. Notice what’s at the root of these barriers to delegation: a lack of trust—trust in God and trust in the people He’s placed around us. To delegate is to take a step of faith—in God and in those we delegate to. That can be unnerving for sure, but it’s worth it. Perhaps few things will position a ministry to grow and flourish more than delegation. Delegation shares the workload, gets others involved and invested, and protects the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health of the team, especially your own.

Are you convinced yet? Are you ready to delegate more? If so, here are three rules to follow to ensure you delegate well.

Rule 1: Delegate roles, not tasks. One of the biggest delegation mistakes I see is leaders delegating tasks rather than roles. Delegating tasks isn’t really delegating; it’s recruiting helpers. And that’s not ideal for anyone. It might save the leader some time, but it doesn’t ease her or his responsibilities nor does it create fellow leaders. Instead, as you think about what to delegate, think in terms of roles. Think about how you can give ownership of aspects of the ministry to others. If you are not giving some level of decision-making to someone else, you really aren’t delegating.

Rule 2: Delegate, don’t abdicate. This second rule is a balance to the first. While we don’t want to delegate tasks to others, neither do we want to dump responsibilities on them and leave them on their own. True delegation means you hand over real responsibility—yet you don’t disappear. You stay available to coach, answer questions, and cheer them on. This means that delegation might cost us more time at first. But it’s worth it. Because in the long run, as others grow comfortable and confident in their roles, they will need us less and less, and we all will flourish more. So, as you delegate, schedule regular check-ins and be sure that your team knows you are always available to help them.

Rule 3: Delegate wisely. Another common mistake in delegation is that leaders aren’t sure what roles to delegate. It’s tempting to delegate your least favorite roles to another, but that might not always be the best. Delegation isn’t about doing less of what you don’t like to do; delegation is about doing less of what is less important for you to do. When it comes to determining what to delegate, I suggest you organize your various roles into four groups:

“What Must I Do?” This first group includes all the roles that are essential to your position as a ministry leader. These are things that you, and only you can do, and thus these roles would not be delegated for any reason. There may not be many roles in this group, and that’s okay.

“What Should I Do?” This second group includes roles that are likely best for you to do, but they aren’t necessarily essential for you to do. As you place roles in this group, try not to think about what you are most skilled at or interested in. Instead, think about what’s more important for your position to do. In other words, if you were to leave and were coaching your successor about what she or he should do, what would you point them to?

“What Should I Not Do?” This third group includes roles that aren’t wrong for you to do, but they are less than ideal for you to do. Basically, if someone else can do a role and do it well, you should strongly consider placing it in this group. In essence, this should be your default group for all your roles, unless you find ample cause to move any to one of the other three groups. Now, that might make you uncomfortable. You might be thinking that the prior group should be your default group. But that’s not true. The mark of godly leadership isn’t doing everything; it’s ensuring everything is done. Notice the critical difference there.

“What Must I Not Do?” Like the first group, this will likely be a smaller one. There’s probably not much that you absolutely shouldn’t do, but there likely will be a few roles that fall into this group. One way to think of this group is through a “good versus best” lens. Is it “good” that you do something? Perhaps. But is it best that you don’t so that your time is freed to do better things? That answer is what will push roles into this last group.

Sitting down and placing all your roles into these four groups will allow you to determine what you need to prioritize delegating (working from group four to group three to group two). Then, it’s a matter of connecting the right person to the right role and then training them and releasing them to do ministry with you, rather than for you. And that’s when ministry can really flourish. So, start small. Pick one role this week that belongs in your “What Should I Not Do?” bucket. Pray. Find the right person and hand it off with clear expectations and genuine support. Then stand back and watch what God might do.

Brian Dembowczyk (PhD, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary) is the associate publisher at Thomas Nelson Bibles. He previously served as managing editor of The Gospel Project and in full-time ministry. He is the author of Faith Foundations (IVP), Family Discipleship that Works (IVP), and Gospel Centered Kids Ministry (B&H).